"Also Friday, the EU's foreign policy chief accused Israel of breaching the internationally-brokered road map for Middle East peace by moving to expand Ma'aleh Adumim.
'The High Representative expresses his concern after the Israeli decision to issue building permits for the E1 project in Ma'aleh Adumim,' the EU's Javier Solana said in a statement issued late on Thursday.
'This decision contravenes the commitment of the parties to abstain from any unilateral measure that could affect the final settlement as the Quartet recalled in London on March 1,' he said, referring to the group of international mediators - the U.S., Russia, the EU and the United Nations.
The EU expected Israel to respect its obligations under the road map, which included a freeze on settlements in occupied territories, Solana said."
On March 24, Condie Rice told the Los Angeles Times:
Now, our position on settlement activity has not changed. We have said to the Israelis that they have obligations under the roadmap, they have obligations not to increase settlement activity. We expect, in particular, that they are going to be careful about anything -- route of the fence, settlement activity, laws -- that would appear to prejudge a final status agreement, and it's concerning that this is where it is and around Jerusalem. But we've noted our concern to the Israelis -- and David Welch and Elliott did. We will continue to note that this is at odds with the -- of American policy. So full stop we will continue to do that and we have noted our concerns about it.
QUESTION: You noted your concerns. Did you get what you consider a satisfactory response?
SECRETARY RICE: Well, I think that we got a response. I think anything that raises the prospect that you're going to have an expansion of settlements in this way, particularly in a sensitive area, is not really a satisfactory response. But we're going to continue to talk to the Israelis about it and we've got some time before any of this would actually take place.
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