Powell Still Plans to Meet Palestinians
Secretary of State Colin Powell said on Saturday he still hoped to meet Palestinian leaders next week despite a bomb attack on an Israeli university that drew swift military retaliation from Israel.

Powell condemned Palestinian attacks and mourned the five Americans and two Israelis who died in the Wednesday blast at a cafeteria of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, but said efforts to end 22 months of bloodshed must continue.

``We can't walk away from it. We must continue to try to find a path forward,'' Powell told a news conference in Manila near the end of an eight-nation Asia tour. He made clear that no dates or participants for any peace effort had been set.

President Bush had said he was ``just as angry as Israel is'' after the university bombing, but said he still thought peace was possible.

The army on Friday also demolished the houses of families of militants and started to deport their relatives. Bulldozers and army engineers razed four homes in three West Bank towns, at least three of which belonged to relatives of suicide attackers.

Palestinian President Yasser Arafat condemned as a crime against humanity the demolitions, which left dozens homeless.

``I am asking for quick international intervention from the United Nations. If they are not able to send forces, they should send observers,'' Arafat said in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

Senior Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said last week he expected to visit Washington with Abdel Razzak al Yahya, the new interior minister also in charge of Palestinian security forces, and Trade Minister Maher al-Masri for talks on August 5 and 6.

The meeting would be the most senior contact between the U.S. administration and Palestinian Authority since Bush called in June for Arafat to be sidelined as Palestinian leader.
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/world/international-mideast.html