BBC NEWS -- US puts brake on Mid-East plan

The United States has called for a new "road map for peace" for the Middle East to be postponed until after Israel's general election on 28 January.

The EU has argued that the peace plan, which calls for a Palestinian state alongside Israel, should be revealed before the election to make Israeli voters aware of the options.

"The US decision not to declare the road map... will lead to a political vacuum," Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat told Reuters news agency.