DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's go to the Middle East now, and CNN bureau chief, Jerusalem bureau chief, Mike Hanna joining us live from there -- hello.</s>MIKE HANNA, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: Hello Daryn. Well, this road map has been in place for long period of time. Its introduction has been postponed on a number of occasions. Now President Bush has linked the introduction of this speech plan to confirmation of a Palestinian prime minister. The U.S. has been demanding for a long period of time now that Democratic reform take place within the Palestinian Authority, and it sees as a critical point in this the formation of a prime minister with real and credible powers. The Palestinian Authority has been doing exactly that. It has introduced the post of prime minister. There have been two readings of the Palestinian legislative council about this position, and it is now being debated within the Palestinian leadership and among a technical committee. Most expect that the confirmation of the prime minister's post will come as soon as within a week. So this is something being welcomed by Palestinians, the introduction of the road map, Palestinian leaders have been calling repeatedly for some new initiative to emerge, saying that the only way that the ongoing conflict within the region can be brought to a halt, or at least diminished, is with some new diplomatic decree of this U.S. sponsored road map -- Daryn.</s>KAGAN: And, Mike, how do you think this will play on both sides?</s>HANNA: Once again, both sides have reacted to the introduction of this road map in a positive basis. They have not -- neither side has rejected it at any stage in particular, the Israelis. The question now being awaited to see is, what does this road map consist of? What are its details? To what extent both parties are comfortable wit its provisions or whether there's going to be argument about what is specified within it, but President Bush has made quite clear that end goal of this process is the establishment of a Palestinian state. This is something that the Palestinian leaders have been waiting to hear for an introduction of some diplomatic move that will take them that much closer to the establishment of such a state.</s>KAGAN: Mike Hanna in Jerusalem, thank you so much for that.
Bush Calls for Palestinian State