Washington: The White House on September 13 stopped short of outrightly condemning Israel for its decision to expel Yasser Arafat but warned that the move would only provide the Palestinian leader "a broader stage".

As top US officials worked to salvage the Middle East peace process, US President George W Bush's Press Secretary Scott McClellan said, "We don't view that it would help matters and it would only serve to give him (Arafat) a broader stage."

Bush's National Security Adviser, Condoleezza Rice, and US Secretary of State Colin Powell were in touch with officials in the region to defuse the volatile situation, said the spokesman.

"We continue to focus on the two-state vision that the President has outlined, because, as the President said, it is a hopeful vision. It is the way forward. And so that is where our focus remains," McClellan said.

The US Ambassador to Israel, Dan Kurtzer, is reported to have repeated Washington's opposition to removing Arafat during a meeting with Israeli Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz.

PTI