Al-Quds city, Nov 20, SPA -- The Palestinian prime minister met withforeign diplomats Saturday including the U.S. envoy, a dayafter appealing to the United States to stick to its original deadline for Palestinian statehood. Saturday also marked the beginning of the Palestinianpresidential elections; candidates now have 12 days tosubmit their nominations and the population will vote onwho will replace late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat onJan. 9 next year. Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia met U.S. envoy David Pierce ineast Al-Quds city as part of preparations for next week'svisit by U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell. Queria said he would seek assurances from Powell that thetimetable U.S. President George W. Bush raised in theso-called "road map" peace plan will be honored. "As the president and secretary of state have said, weare ready to help the Palestinian people," Pierce toldreporters after the meeting. Giving Israel more time would lead to more land grabs,Queria argued. "We'll tell him that the four years' time that wasmentioned by President Bush to establish a Palestinianstate will encourage the Israeli government to continuestealing our lands to build settlements and the wall,"Qureia told a Palestinian journalist on Friday. "It isvery dangerous." Powell and foreign ministers from Britain, Russia andother nations are traveling to the Middle East in hopes ofrestarting peace efforts amid a new spirit of optimismfollowing the death of Arafat, the Palestinians' longtimeleader.--MORE1251 Local Time 0951 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/218308