BREAKING NEWS

Arab League slams US security ideas for future Palestinian state

The Arab League on Saturdayrejected US proposals that would allow Israeli soldiers to bestationed on the eastern border of a future Palestinian state,underscoring the challenge facing a US effort to wrap up apeace deal by April.

At an emergency meeting called at the request of PalestinianPresident Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday, Arab League SecretaryGeneral Nabil Elaraby said there could be not one Israelisoldier in the territory of a future Palestine.

But a resolution he read at the end of the meeting did notrepeat the harshly critical language of a report circulated tothe Arab delegates ahead of the gathering.

The report, seen by Reuters, said the US securityproposals "achieved Israeli security expansionist demands, andguaranteed (Israel's) continued control of (the Jordan Valley)on the security pretext".

It also described them as "an American retreat".