Palestinian Foreign Minister Nabil Shaath said Monday the U.S. presidential election was stalling the Middle East peace process and urged other countries to increase their efforts. Following talks in London with British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, Shaath said Palestinians were paying the price of America being distracted in the run up to the Nov. 2 poll. "I keep saying really that we have many times to pay for these American elections unfairly," Shaath told a news conference. "During an American election and the three months after, allies of the United States should do more work than they would do otherwise." He noted that the hiatus could continue until January 2005, when either U.S. President George W. Bush or his Democratic challenger John Kerry is sworn in. "I do not think the three coming months should just witness Palestinians getting killed. I think something can be done by America's friends and allies and I think Britain is very well situated to do that." Prime Minister Tony Blair has promised to make revitalizing the peace process a personal priority following the U.S. election. Peace efforts have been hobbled during four years of fighting between Israelis and Palestinians. The United States was one of the key sponsors _ along with the European Union, the United Nations and Russia _ of the "road map" peace plan, which stalled shortly after it was launched in June 2003.
