Brussels, 13/05/2003 (Agence Europe) - In parallel to the shorter tour by the Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs and the President of the EU Council, George Papandreou, the CFSP High Representative, Javier Solana, began a tour of the Middle East with a visit to Cairo. On Tuesday he was in Jordan and is expected in Saudi Arabia. Other visits are planned, notably in Damascus and Beirut, in an effort to obtain increased support for the peace process and the rapid implementation of the Quartet's road map. Following a meeting with the Jordanian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Solana, speaking from Amman, condemned the terrorist attacks committed in Riyadh.
US Secretary of State, Colin Powell, also visiting the Middle East, stressed on Tuesday that the USA did not intend to rewrite or renegotiate the road map for peace in the Middle East. This document, accepted by the Palestinians but not by the Israelis, is the "only road that we can go down" to peace, he declared, before adding that with regard to Israeli objections, "They have certain comments to make…which we will listen to but we do not intend to rewrite or renegotiate the road map".