MADRID, Spain -- Secretary of State Colin Powell said Wednesday he would push ahead with his peacekeeping mission in the Middle East despite Israel's refusal to halt military incursions and its objections to his meeting Yasser Arafat. \nPowell brushed aside Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's assertion that the Arafat meeting this weekend would be "a tragic mistake" and said his mission was "not in the least in jeopardy." \nHe said he hoped Sharon would help the meeting take place and also ease restrictions on Arafat in Ramallah to help him communicate more readily with other Palestinian leaders. \n"He is the partner that Israel will have to deal with," Powell said after his peace mission was endorsed in Madrid by the European Union, the United Nations and Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov. \nIsrael's defense ministry said late Wednesday that Israeli troops were leaving three West Bank villages, Yatta, Qabatya and Samua, less than a day before Powell was to arrive in the region. \nEven so, Powell will face daunting challenges as he tries to persuade Sharon to pull back, Arafat to speak against terror and both sides to get back to the peace table. \nThe crux of Powell's two-step plan is to try to arrange a cease-fire between Israel and the Palestinians and then steer them into negotiations that would culminate in a Palestinian state on land Israel now holds. \nBut Sharon pledged on Wednesday to maintain the offensive until Palestinian militias are destroyed. \nEven if Powell gains a cease-fire, many in the region question how well it might hold if there are more Palestinian suicide attacks. Further, mistrust would make talks about future borders and a Palestinian state difficult, with the constant threat of a wider war in the region. \nAs he trekked through the Middle East and then detoured to Spain, Powell made plain that his other objectives include renewing security cooperation between Israel and the Palestinians, asking Saudi Arabia for assistance to rebuild Palestinian facilities and organizing a worldwide relief effort for Palestinians. \n"We understand the difficult situation that Israel finds itself in, but we believe that the best way to relieve this tension, the best way to move forward and provide a solution to the crisis that we find ourselves in, is for the withdrawal of Israeli forces," Powell said at a news conference. \nPowell is due in Israel late Thursday after a stop in Jordan to talk to King Abdullah II. He is to see Sharon in Jerusalem on Friday and hopes to see Arafat Saturday. \nPresident Bush, after first strongly supporting the Israeli leader, last week demanded that Sharon call a halt. As a result, U.S. policy is now more in line with the views of Arab and European governments. \n Sharon, on the other hand, feeling the continuing sting of Palestinian suicide attacks on Israelis, told reporters while touring an Israeli army base near the West Bank refugee camp of Jenin that he had informed Bush he could not pull troops back immediately. \n"Here we are in the middle of a battle," Sharon said. "If we leave, we will have to return. Once we finish, we are not going to stay here. But first we have to accomplish our mission." \nIn Washington, White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said, "I don't think this surprises the American people that this is a challenge, that this is difficult, that people in the region don't simply stop, salute the United States, and say, 'Yes sir."
' \nThe leaders in Madrid urged both Israelis and Palestinians to cooperate with Powell. \n"There is no military solution to the conflict," said a joint statement issued by four leaders and Powell. The statement called for an immediate cease-fire and Israel's withdrawal from Palestinian-held cities on the West Bank, including Ramallah, where Arafat is confined. \nAt the same time, the officials said, "Terrorism, including suicide bombing, is illegal and immoral." \nMeanwhile, in advance of Powell's visit, U.S. envoy Gen. Anthony Zinni met with Palestinian officials in Jerusalem. \nAnd Vice President Dick Cheney spoke with Syrian President Bashar Assad and made clear Bush's admonition to stay out of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a State Department official said. He said Cheney also stressed the need to act and speak against terrorism and violence. \nThe official, asking not to be identified, noted that the United States has condemned recent attacks on Israel from Lebanese territory and attempts by any party to escalate the conflict through military action. \nU.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Syrian and Lebanese leaders had assured him they would try to curb the guerrilla attacks on Israel from Lebanon. \nA senior U.S. official called the situation serious and said Israel was being urged to act with restraint in response to Hezbollah attacks.
