THE MIDDLE EAST: A senior Palestinian negotiator, on a four-day official visit to Ireland, has expressed concern that the Israeli government could use the Iraqi crisis as cover for repressive measures against his people.
"If there is a war, we really don't know what the Israeli government is going to do, what kind of action it is going to take, what kind of destructive measures they will use," said Mr Maher Al Masri, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry with the Palestinian Authority.
Commenting on the Israeli elections, he said: "It is a matter of what kind of government Mr Sharon is going to form and how he is going to deal with the road-map.
"According to what we read in the media and some comments by Israeli officials, it seems that Mr Sharon has a certain plan in his mind, to completely divert the road-map to a different and new map that suits his strategic goal of dominating the West Bank and Gaza."
The original "road map" the minister referred to is a plan for the creation of a Palestinian state by 2005, which was drawn up by a diplomatic "quartet" comprising the US, the EU, Russia and the UN.