The Israelis and Palestinians have accepted an Egyptian plan for a ceasefire, a resumption of peace talks and a meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and his Palestinian counterpart Ahmed Korei, the Egyptian news agency Mena reported on Monday.
The plan, for which no timeframe has been set, falls within the framework of Israel's planned withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and Egypt's agreement to help maintain security in the territory afterwards, Mena said.
It was put to Sharon and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat last week by the head of Egypt's intelligence services, General Omar Suleiman, at the request of President Hosni Mubarak, the agency said.
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Arafat's principal adviser, Nabil Abu Rudeina, confirmed the existence of Egyptian "proposals" but said their implementation was dependent upon an Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.
There was no comment from Israel.
The plan has, however, been "welcomed" by Washington, London, Paris, Berlin, Madrid and "other capitals", which promised to help equip Palestinian forces to be able to secure Gaza following a withdrawal, Mena added.
It said Sharon had "agreed to stop violence, bombings and assassinations, on condition that the Palestinians remain committed" to an end to hostilities.
In a gesture of goodwill, he has also agreed to "meet Ahmed Korei to discuss the proposals".
Arafat had "approved the Egyptian plan and said he was ready to start working immediately towards a ceasefire", according to Mena.
He has asked Suleiman "to get Israel to agree to end its attacks and to give him time to consult with the different Palestinian factions in order to secure their agreement," it said.
If the different factions were to agree, they could be invited to Cairo to finalise the "accord which seeks to bring an end to all illegitimate violence and to secure the lasting commitment of all parties" for peace.
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