Schröder Rejects Newest Israeli Peace Plan

German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder has called on Israel to stick to a 2002 Middle East peace plan and drop a proposal to unilaterally withdraw from the Gaza strip and keep a number of Jewish settlements in the West Bank in return. "Palestinians are entitled that no one makes any decisions without their participation," Schröder said after meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in the chancellor's home town of Hanover on Friday. On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon had received backing for the latest proposal from U.S. President George W. Bush, who had previously backed the so-called road map to peace. British Prime Minister Tony Blair has backed Bush's policy shift, saying that it revitalized the stalled negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians.