US President Bill Clinton urged Palestinians and Israelis Sunday not to abandon efforts to end violence in the West Bank, as he unveiled a broad framework for a negotiated peace.
"The parameters I put forward contemplate a settlement that responds to each side's essential needs, if not their utmost desires: a settlement based on sovereign homelands, security, peace and dignity for both Israelis and Palestinians," the US president said in an address to the Israeli Policy Forum in New York.
Clinton also called for the establishment of "a sovereign and viable Palestinian state," which would also take into account "demographic realities and Israel security requirements," Clinton said.
On the contentious issue of which side would have control over Jerusalem, the US president asserted that "Jerusalem must be an open and undivided city ... with assured freedom of access and worship for all."
Since the start of the Palestinian uprising in late September some 371 people have been killed in clashes in the region.
Clinton also confirmed reports that he has dispatched special envoy Dennis Ross to the region. US officials announced earlier Sunday that Ross would meet with both Israeli and Palestinian representatives, in what is likely to be his last visit to the region as Clinton's envoy.
Ross will leave for the Middle East "in the next few days," one US official said -- NEW YORK (AFP)
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