Quds city, March 25, SPA -- U.S. Ambassador Dan Kurtzer said on Friday the United States expects Israel to retain control over large West Bank settlements under a Mideast peace deal, denying a newspaper report quoting him as saying there is no such understanding between the two countries. Kurtzer, speaking on Israel Radio, said the United States believes it is "unrealistic" to expect a full Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank. Kurtzer told Israel Radio that the story has "no basis in fact" and that he planned to speak to Sharon later in the day. "What I tried to explain to them is exactly what U.S. policy is. And U.S. policy is the support that the (U.S.) president has given for the retention by Israel of major Israeli population centers as an outcome of negotiations," Kurtzer said.
