HL Deb 04 February 2003 vol 644 cc18-9WA
The Earl of Sandwich

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they accept that the 95 to 98 per cent offer by Prime Minister Barak during the Taba talks excluded strategic ring roads and settlement access routes which would have made a Palestinian state unsustainable; and what consequences this will have for the road-map being drawn up by the Quartet. [HL1168]

Baroness Amos

No official record of the Taba talks exists and the Government are unable to confirm the precise details of offers made there.

A final settlement must provide for a viable Palestinian state to exist alongside Israel, both within secure and recognised borders. The Quartet shares this view, but has not sought to prejudge the precise outcome of territorial negotiations within this framework. We look forward to the Quartet publishing its road-map soon.