The United States today welcomed an Israeli-Palestinian agreement to work to shore up their tentative ceasefire, calling it a first step toward restoring trust and confidence after a year of violence.
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Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres and Palestinian President Yasser Arafat arrive for a meeting at the Gaza airport in Rafah.
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Palestinian President Mr Yasser Arafat and Israeli Foreign Minister Mr Shimon Peres agreed today to work together on a US-backed plan designed to end clashes in which more than 700 people have died and, eventually, to bring about peace talks.
The leaders reiterated their commitment to a truce-to-talks plan that allows for measures like lifting blockades imposed on Palestinian areas in a year of violence that began after US efforts to broker a permanent peace agreement unraveled.
The long-delayed Gaza airport meeting, which had been under discussion for weeks, reflects a new push for peace following the Sept 11 attacks on New York and Washington, which have prompted both sides to review their positions.
In one significant step, the two sides plan to resume their security co-operation at a meeting on Friday, and Mr Arafat and Mr Peres intend to meet again in a week or so to try to turn their shaky truce into a lasting cease-fire.
White House spokesman Mr Ari Fleischer hailed the Arafat-Peres meeting, their first since June 29, and urged both sides to seize the moment and to turn their tentative agreements into concrete actions.
"Today's meeting and agreement constitute an important first step forward in restoring the trust and confidence in changing the situation on the ground that will benefit both Palestinians and the Israelis," Mr Fleischer said.
And the United States calls on both sides to seize the moment and exercise maximum efforts to follow up these positive developments with immediate concrete actions, he added, saying US President Mr George W. Bush and Secretary of State Mr Colin Powell would remain engaged to help make that happen.
In their talks, the Israelis and Palestinians reiterated their commitment to a peace blueprint produced by a panel led by former US Senator, Mr George Mitchell, that called for an end to violence, followed by a cooling-off period, confidence-building moves and an eventual resumption of peace talks.
According to a senior Israeli security source, Israel has tentatively agreed during the first 48 hours starting on Friday to begin easing its military blockade of Palestinian areas in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
In return, Israel wants the Palestinians to stop the violence and begin arresting prominent militants who are wanted by Israeli authorities. But Palestinian officials said they were only obligated to detain those who endanger the cease-fire.