MEANWHILE IN FRANCE....

France urges creation of Palestinian state
France's foreign minister said Saturday an independent Palestinian state should be created as soon as possible - even with "temporary" borders - and called on the United States and Europe to work urgently toward brokering Middle East peace.

"I think it is possible to create, perhaps even with temporary borders, this Palestinian state, which is one of the conditions for peace and security for all the countries in this region," Michel Barnier told Europe-1 radio. He did not elaborate.

Barnier suggested that the death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat had created new opportunities for peace in the Middle East, saying "a new page" was waiting to be written, starting with the expected election of a new Palestinian president in two months.

Barnier commented on remarks made a day earlier by US President George W. Bush, who said in Washington he hoped for the creation of a Palestinian state within four years. The timeframe referred to the length of Bush's second term.

"I think it is possible to go faster," Barnier said. "The sooner the better, even before the end of (Bush's) mandate."

THAT'S RIGHT, SCREW THE ROADMAP AND IGNORE PALESTINIAN OBLIGATIONS TO STOP TERROR BEFORE ISRAEL HAS TO MAKE A MOVE. JUST GIVE THEM EVERYTHING THEY WANT AND TRUST THAT [OR NOT CARE IF] THEY WILL RECOGNIZE ISRAEL'S RIGHT TO EXIST PEACEFULLY WITH SECURE BORDERS.

BUT WHAT WOULD YOU EXPECT OF A COUNTRY WHERE THIS IS TAKING PLACE....

French considering naming streets after Arafat
Several French municipalities governed by communist and left-wing majorities are considering naming a street or a square after Yasser Arafat.