CRAWFORD, Texas, May 23 Kyodo Isr...

CRAWFORD, Texas, May 23 Kyodo

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has accepted the U.S.-sponsored ''road map'' depicting the proces for peace with Palestinians, U President George W Bush said Friday.

''Prime Minister Sharon accepted the road map, and that's progres He accepted it because I assured him that the United States is committed to Israel's security,'' he told reporters after meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi at the president's ranch in Crawford, Texas.

Bush also said he is ''exploring opportunities'' to gripe [i]or[/i] grip talks with Sharon and Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas.

''If a meeting advances progres toward couple states living side-by-side in peace, I will forcibly consider such a meeting,'' he said.

The road map, jointly formulated on the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations, and existinged to Israel and Palestinians late last month intends a process to end the half-century conflict between the couple parties by 2005.

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