Palestinian officials will draft a new constitution for the Palestinian Authority, officials at international talks in London aimed at bringing peace to the Middle East were told today.
The British Foreign Office said in a statement the Palestinians had "made a commitment to draw up by the end of January an outline constitution ... based on the principles of democracy, political pluralism, rule of law, independence of the judiciary and the protection of individual freedoms".
Palestinian delegates, banned by Israel from travelling to Britain for the conference, participated in the meeting through video link.
Encouraged by what he called a "constructive" day, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said the international Quartet on Middle East peace - the European Union, Russia, the United States and the United Nations - would hold a meeting of its task force on Palestinian reform in London during the week of February 10-16.
"We were determined that this meeting should not be seen as a one-off but as part of a process which supported and complemented the work of the Quartet," Mr Straw said.
The Quartet want civil and administrative reforms put in place to prepare the Palestinians for statehood under a potential peace deal with Israel.
The Palestinian Authority's de facto ambassador to London, Mr Afif Safieh, said the meeting showed the international community's commitment to setting up a Palestinian state.
"I am happy to say that the verdict today of the international community is that there is a state which is missing and needs to be created," he said after a late-afternoon meeting with Prime Minister Tony Blair at Downing Street.
"The issue of reform should not be the tree that hides the forest and the forest in this case is an ugly sight," he said.
Plans for the London conference triggered a diplomatic row between the Israeli government of Mr Ariel Sharon and Downing Street, with the Israelis accusing Britain of "rewarding terror" and London retorting that Tel Aviv was hampering reform.
AFP