U.S. Chides Palestinians on Peace Efforts

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http://apnews.excite.com/article/20040315/D81AVB380.html
Mar 15, 1:27 PM (ET)

By BARRY SCHWEID

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Bush administration, responding to two suicide bombings in Israel, said Monday that meaningful progress in Mideast peacemaking will be very difficult unless Palestinian leaders crack down on terror groups.

In Jerusalem, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon ruled out negotiations with the Palestinians after the bombings Sunday in Ashdod that killed 10 people. He called off a meeting he had been expected to hold on Tuesday with Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia.

"Israel has no real Palestinian negotiating partner for peace talks," Sharon told parliament.

The Bush administration did not respond directly to Sharon's decision to shelve peacemaking efforts, at least temporarily. But State Department spokesman Adam Ereli said that while the administration supported a Sharon-Qureia meeting "clearly recent events have to be taken into account."