http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L02638582.htmNEW YORK, Aug 2 (Reuters) - The Bush administration has backed away from demands that the Palestinian Authority dismantle militant groups immediately because it is concerned that the authority's security forces are too weak, the New York Times reported on Saturday.
The paper quoted U.S. officials as saying they had come to accept the ceasefire that Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas negotiated with Hamas and other Palestinian groups.
The Times said that when the ceasefire was negotiated in June, it was belittled by Israeli and American officials as a poor substitute for tough actions against militants. But as attacks on Israelis had declined and Palestinian support for Abbas seemed to have grown, Americans had changed their tone.
"Both sides now think the ceasefire is a good idea and the early Israeli scepticism has changed," the paper quoted a senior U.S. official as saying.
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