UN leader urges Middle East leaders to progress towards peace

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan is urging Israel and the Palestinians to look at resuming peace negotiations after months of bloodshed.

Annan says he is pleased both sides have accepted recommendations of a commission led by former US Senator George Mitchell.

His comments come after he spoke with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

Annan is now due to meet with Israeli President Moshe Katsav and Foreign Minister Shimon Peres.

"We have to try and consolidate the cease-fire and make sure it holds so that we can move on to the other essential and important aspects of the Mitchell report," he said.

The Mitchell report also recommends confidence-building measures and a return to peace negotiations.

Violence on the ground has diminished. But last night Palestinians living near the Gaza-Egypt border tried to stop Palestinian gunmen who were firing on Israeli troops from their neighbourhood, witnesses and Palestinian security officials say.

The gunmen then started shooting randomly, killing 12-year-old Suleyman al-Massari, and injuring four other Palestinians.

Palestinian security officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, say they are searching for the gunmen and consider them to be violating Arafat's ceasefire order.

Earlier, five Palestinians were slightly injured in the Gaza Strip, according to hospital officials in Khan Yunis. The Israeli army says soldiers responded with rubber bullets and tear gas to youths throwing stones. The hospital says the injuries were from live ammunition.