The United States on Friday denied that it planned to withdraw the Greater Middle East Initiative and said the Mideast reform plan remained on its agenda.

"I do not think I can say quite either one of those things," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said at a news briefing when asked if the United States would withdraw the Greater Middle East Initiative or would present a revised version at the Group-8 summit meeting in June.

"We will look for ways and will be discussing with others in the European Union and elsewhere about how we can all support the modernization and reform efforts in the Middle East. That remains something on our agenda. That remains something that we are working with others to do," Boucher said.

The United States hopes to promote the Greater Middle East Initiative to foster democratic, free-market reforms in Arab nations, with a free Iraq at its center. However, the move has been criticized by some European and Arab nations, which accuse the United States of trying to dictate the future of the Middle East.

(Xinhau News Agency March 27, 2004)