Militant signals raise hopes of Mideast ceasefire

PALESTINIAN militants are sending “very positive” signals that they are ready for a ceasefire with Israel, a top aide to the Palestinian prime minister has said.

Cabinet secretary Hassan Abu Libdeh said he is confident Israel and the Palestinians can halt three years of fighting very soon.

Whether a ceasefire can hold, he warned, will depend largely on Israel. Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia, hopes to reach a ceasefire as a first step of resuming talks on the US-backed "road map" peace plan, which envisions full Palestinian independence by 2005. The plan has stalled amid violence and Palestinian political wrangling.