ON BOARD AIR FORCE ONE - Israel's "disengagement plan" for Gaza will be the focus of talks Monday between US President George W. Bush and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, the White House said Wednesday.
"We want to do all we can to support the parties as they move forward to the president's two-state vision," spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters on board the presidential jet as Bush traveled to Rome for Pope John Paul II's funeral.
McClellan added that "Monday's meeting is a good opportunity to talk about moving forward on the disengagement plan and getting the parties focused on moving forward on the roadmap" to peace.
The two leaders will be meeting at Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas. On Tuesday, Bush had urged Israeli officials to freeze settlement activity in the West Bank.
"We seek two democratic states -- Israel and Palestine -- living side by side in peace and security. And that goal is within reach if all of the parties meet their responsibilities and if terrorism is brought to an end," Bush said in a speech.
"Israel must freeze settlement activity, help the Palestinians build a thriving economy and ensure that a new Palestinian state is truly viable with contiguous territory on the West Bank.
"Palestinian leaders must fight corruption, encourage free enterprise, rest true authority with the people and actively confront terrorist groups," Bush added.
McClellan said that Sharon "came forward with a very bold proposal, his disengagement plan, to remove those settlements from Gaza and parts of the West Bank. ... And so (Monday's meeting) will be an opportunity now to talk about how Israel is moving forward on the disengagement plan."
The spokesman stressed that "all parties have responsibilities" under the US-backed roadmap to peace. "The roadmap also talks about the importance of ending settlement activity.
And "one of the first phases also calls for Palestinian leaders to dismantle terrorist organizations," he added.
04/06/2005 18:06 GMT