SAEB EREKAT, FORMER CHIEF NEGOTIATOR, PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY: I believe the existing road map is one of the more important document I have seen in the last 11 years of my work. I think it provides an opportunity for Palestinians and Israelis.

There are three new added elements that were not in other agreements. One is that the road map specifies an endgame of ending the Israeli occupation that began in '67 and establish a Palestinian state next to Israel. Secondary, this plan is benchmarked with a time ceiling no later than 2005 to achieve this and thirdly, it provides the element of third party monitors on the ground to vouch for the party that's doing and the party that's not doing.

I believe now we don't need to reinvent the wheel and we don't need to repeat things we've done in the past expecting different results. What's needed now is an American leadership role along with the quartet to provide the mechanisms of the implementation, the time line and the monitors. In the first phase there are 15 Palestinian obligations, 12 Israeli obligations - none of them require any further negotiations - they need implementation and let me tell you, Mark, that Palestinians and Israelis decided to close their ears, they don't want to hear anything anymore. They're opening their eyes - they'll believe it when they see it. So implementation is crucial and time is of the essence.

All Secretary Powell must do at this stage is tell Palestinians, "You are in this corner, "Israelis you are in this corner, "we're watching and we want to see implementation. "No more words. "We wanna see deeds."

MARK DAVIS: Well, Mr Sharon can speak with some authority on behalf of Israel and the Israeli people, what he says will go. Can the same be said for Mr Abbas?

SAEB EREKAT: Yes, I believe Mr Abbas got the confidence vote from the the legislative council, from the central council. I believe the Palestinian leadership, President Arafat, Abu Mazen and others have expressed their willingness to implement fully all the commitments emanating from the road map and I believe it's time for Palestinians and for Israelis to start implementing because what will revive hope in the minds of Palestinian and Israelis is not talk, is gunna be deeds and implementation.

MARK DAVIS: Well, when you resigned again you were reported as saying that the Palestinians deserve better leadership - that you also called for fresh elections to be held within six months.

This suggests, doesn't it, that the current leadership may not be representing the will of the Palestinian people in these critical negotiations?

SAEB EREKAT: Well, let me tell you about my resignation. I submitted my resignation as the chief negotiator and as the cabinet minister. My resignation as a cabinet minister was accepted. Until this moment that I'm speaking to you, Mark, my resignation as a chief negotiator was not accepted. So it's early to say what will happen.

I'm part of this Palestinian leadership and I call on the Americans to help us in carrying out our presidential, legislative and municipal elections.

I believe the only way to break this situation is through meaningful elections, through Palestinians participating and choosing their representatives to the legislative council, their President and their minister of elections, and I don't see any reason why should we delay the elections.

We need to democratise, we need a system of accountability, transparency, human rights, based on full democratic principles and I will do whatever it takes and I will continue exerting maximum effort in order to ensure that Palestinians go into elections as soon as possible. I'm speaking like this in my capacity as a member of the Palestinian legislative council. I'm elected to represent the Jericho constituency and I believe that Palestinian people want elections more than anything else at this stage.

MARK DAVIS: Well, this is a critical issue, isn't it? I mean in your opinion what do the Palestinian people think of Mahmood Abbas, what do they think of entering into these peace talks at the moment and of course in the absence of any elections in many years, how do you judge that popular will?

SAEB EREKAT : In the recent public poll, I think more than 60% of the Palestinians supported Mr Abbas's program submitted to the legislative council. More than 70% of Palestinians want elections - presidential, legislative and municipal elections - and more than 72% of the Palestinians support the road map and the peace process and this is significant and that reflects exactly the majority of the Palestinians and I can say here also, that the majority of Israelis also want to see the beginning of the implementation of the road map.

People on both sides want to break this vicious cycle. People on both sides want to live normally and people on both sides want nothing more in their lives than to see peace happen and we should give them this and I really urge the American administration at this stage to resume an active leadership, not by negotiating for Palestinians or Israelis or making decisions for Palestinians and Israelis, but by for facilitating an implementation process that will begin reviving hope in the minds of Palestinians and Israelis through a revival of trust between the two leaderships.

MARK DAVIS: Just lastly, Israel's principal concern, and it's certainly a legitimate one, is whether Mr Abbas, if he enters into any deals, whether he can truly speak, for one, on behalf of Hamas, or indeed whether he has the capacity to curtail Hamas. Mr Sharon can stop military attacks if he so chooses. Can Mr Abbas?

SAEB EREKAT: Well, Mr Abbas is pursuing a line now to have a cease-fire from all Palestinian factions. I believe the Egyptians and others are really helping in this direction.

I think there are serious possibilities that this will succeed, provided that the Sharon Government will immediately cease their attacks against Palestinians, assassinations, confiscation of land, demolition of homes, incursions and the likely violence of the Apaches attacking every day.

I believe this is an act of reciprocal nature and it's part of the commitments of both sides emanating from the road map that both sides should declare a cessation of all violence against the other anywhere and I hope that this will happen soon by introducing the mechanism for implementation, the time line and the monitors by the Americans and other members of the quartet.

MARK DAVIS: Saeb Erekat, thanks for joining us.

SAEB EREKAT: Thank you.