Washington - Former US secretary of state, Mr William Rogers, best known for his plan for Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank, died near Washington on Tuesday night at the age of 87, a spokesman said yesterday. Mr Rogers, a Washington lawyer for most of his career, served as secretary of state under president Richard Nixon from 1969 to 1973 but was often overshadowed by Mr Nixon and his national security adviser, Mr Henry Kissinger. In December, 1969, he made public a peace plan, soon known as the Rogers Plan, which envisaged Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank to its 1967 borders, with minor modifications for mutual security. Israel and Egypt rejected the plan.