Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat chaired early Wednesday in the West Bank town of Ramallah a meeting of the highest Palestinian negotiations committee and discussed the new idea mentioned in the amended plan.

Abed Rabbo said that the committee had accurately and thoroughly studied the plan to prepare the Palestinian reservations on the points that the PNA wants to discuss with the United States and others parties.

He said that after the Palestinian leadership studied the plan and made its comments and reservations, the plan would also be discussed with "Arab and foreign brothers and friends."

"There is a positive attitude to accept it, except certain points that need to be clarified and detailed especially the issue of international observation on the implementation of the plan by both sides," said Abed Rabbo.

He said that it was agreed that without a third international party, "Israel would as usual escape from implementing its commitments," adding that "all settlements activities in the occupied territories "must be stopped."

The amended plan of the road map did not mention anything related to freezing or stopping Israeli settlements activities in the West Bank and Gaza, in addition to not mentioning anything related to curbing violence by Palestinians.

"The most important and first step to be implemented in the planis the complete Israeli army withdrawal from all the territories that were occupied after September 28, 2000 (the date when the Palestinian intifada began)," said Abed Rabbo.

(Xinhua News Agency December 26, 2002)