Washington: The United States has said it would not support any unilateral Israeli move towards a West Asia settlement that does not stick to the US-backed peace "roadmap."

The United States "would oppose any unilateral steps that block the road towards negotiations under the road map that leads to the two-State vision," White House spokesman Scott McClellan said yesterday (Dec 19, 2003).

McClellan was reacting to a speech made by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in which he said, he would implement his own "unilateral measures" if the Palestinians did not meet their roadmap commitments in the coming months.

The spokesman said a settlement must be negotiated between the Palestinians and Israelis.

"US officials believe that a settlement must be negotiated and we would oppose any Israeli effort to impose settlement," he said.

The White House spokesman however, said US officials were "pleased" with a number of things Sharon said in his remarks, particularly his commitment to move forward on the road map as well as his promise to dismantle Jewish settlements in the Palestinian territories.

PTI