Israelis and Palestinians to declare end to four years of bloodshed

ISRAEL and the Palestinians are set to announce a formal cease-fire to halt four years of bloodshed when their leaders meet for a summit in Egypt today.

Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas are to meet in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh for the highest-level meeting between the sides since a Palestinian uprising broke out in 2000.

As well as stopping the violence, the summit hosted by Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak and attended by Jordan's King Abdullah is billed as a step toward reviving a US-backed "road map" for a Palestinian state alongside a secure Israel.

Signalling a new US commitment in the region after Yasser Arafat's death, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice named a security coordinator to protect the budding peace moves and said Mr Sharon and Mr Abbas would visit the White House in spring.

Palestinian and Israeli officials said the deal on a truce had been reached in pre-summit talks. "We have agreed to declare a mutual cease-fire," said Mohammad Dahlan, a close Abbas aide who has been in the talks. "This ceasefire means a halt to all actions against Palestinians and Israelis in accordance with the road map."

An Israeli official said: "The Palestinians are expected to announce an end to terrorism and violence. We will announce a halt to military operations on condition there is an end to terrorism and violence."

However, it was unclear whether the cease-fire would be respected by militants, who have followed a de facto truce for more than two weeks at the behest of Mr Abbas after he urged them to help him revive peacemaking.

Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Zahar said the Islamic militant group hoped Mr Abbas would not make any declaration without getting approval from the militant factions. The factions have said Israel's promise to free 900 out of 8,000 Palestinian prisoners, to pull back troops from some West Bank cities and to stop targeting top militants are not enough.

Underscoring the US view that the first step to negotiations must be an end to violence, Ms Rice named Lieutenant-General William Ward as security coordinator stopping short of assigning an envoy to oversee peacemaking. Ending a visit to the Middle East, she said both Mr Sharon and Mr Abbas had accepted invitations to the White House in the spring for talks with President Bush.