WASHINGTON, April 17 (UPI) -- Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri said Wednesday that Secretary Colin Powell's mission to the Middle East should be viewed as a starting point in the peace process as Powell is set to return to the United States without an Israeli troop withdrawal from the West Bank or promise of cease-fire.
"We have to look at it as a starting process; we should not look at it as a visit where a victory has to be achieved," Hariri told reporters. "This is a wrong look to the visit. I think that Secretary Powell has made a great effort, and we hope that the United States will continue its efforts to achieve the peace in the Middle East."
Hariri met with President George W. Bush in the White House's Oval Office where the escalating crisis in the region dominated the agenda.
Hariri who described his meeting with Bush as "fruitful" said he asked the United States to remain involved in bringing the two sides together.
"I encouraged the president to continue his efforts to achieve the peace in the Middle East. And we believe that the role of the United States is highly important, and we believe that without the help of the United States, the region is going to face a lot of problems," Hariri said after his meeting.
Hariri said he and Bush spoke about the necessity for an immediate withdrawal of the Israeli troops from the Palestinian occupied territories and the necessity for a comprehensive peace, including Lebanon, Syria and the Palestinians.
In a meeting early Wednesday on Capitol Hill, Hariri suggested the formal recognition of a Palestinian state before negotiating with Israel, according to Sen. Joseph Biden Jr., chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. With the Oslo accords -- the pact in which the Bush administration process has been rooted -- the creation of a Palestinian state would come after an agreement has been forged on security issues and land.
National Security Council Press Secretary Sean McCormack said the two leaders also discussed the fact that U.S. and Arab allies need to play a constructive role in bringing peace to the region.
They also talked about the northern border of Israel where there has been fighting between Hezbollah, a Shiite Muslim group and Israelis, and the need for that border to remain free of guerrilla activity.
Powell was in Beirut on Monday where he was warned that fighting between the two factions could escalate and possibly expand into a regional conflict.
Two years ago, Hezbollah forced the Israelis to withdraw from a section of southern Lebanon that it had held since the early 1980s.
Since then, Hezbollah has fought for one area Israeli did not withdraw from -- the Shebaa Farms.
Lebanon says that the area belongs to the Lebanese, as do the Syrians. However, the United Nations has said that withdrawal from the area should be negotiated by Syria.
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan warned Tuesday that events in the region -- combined with a sharp rise in attacks against Israel from Lebanon -- underscored "the seriousness and potential dangers of the present escalation, not only for the Israelis and Palestinians, but also for the region and beyond."
The Bush White House made an effort Wednesday to put a positive face on what appeared to be an unsuccessful mission for Powell after the president dispatched him some 10 days ago into the region to broker a cease-fire agreement.
Powell is scheduled to return to the United States empty-handed after meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian Authority officials, including Chairman Yasser Arafat.
Powell is scheduled to appear at the White House on Thursday morning to brief Bush on his trip.
Bush, speaking at the Virginia Military Institute, said Powell had made progress during his mission to broker an Arab-Israeli cease-fire but stressed that Middle East nations all have responsibilities in fighting the U.S. war on terrorism and bringing peace to the area.
"We're confronting hatred that is centuries old, disputes that have lingered for decades. But I want you to know, I will continue to lead toward a vision of peace," Bush said.
A senior administration official aboard Air Force One told reporters that the president was pleased Powell had been able to return to the region. The official also said conditions in the region had improved after Powell's arrival in the Middle East.
"If we go back to where we were just 10 days ago or so, we had suicide bombings practically every day, we had a situation in which the Israelis had really just begun a military operation, and it was unclear when that military operation was going to come to an end," the official said.
