Tuesday, January 11 2005 11:31 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Ramallah, West Bank: Mahmud Abbas offered peace to Israel after securing the Palestinian Presidency with a that boosted worldwide hopes of peace in the Middle East.

"We offer the hand of peace to our neighbours and we hope that the response will be positive," the new leader said yesterday (Jan 10, 2005) after being confirmed as the winner of Sunday's (Jan 0, 2005) election to find a replacement for the late Yasser Arafat.

Abbas, who is also known as Abu Mazen, won 62.32 per cent of the vote, more than 40 percentage points ahead of his nearest rival.

A senior aide in Ariel Sharon's office said that the Israeli Prime Minister was ready to meet the winner "as soon as possible" before the vote was even finished.

Palestinian Foreign Minister Nabil Shaath said that the meeting could take place within two weeks.

But Abbas acknowledged that there was a lot to do.

"The elections are only the beginning, not the end. We have a programme full of things to do in order to achieve peace," the moderate former Prime Minister said.

The size of his victory grants Abbas the legitimacy he needs in any new talks with Israel.

There were no massive displays of jubilation in the West Bank and Gaza after the election results, but Abbas will take over from Arafat with newfound Israeli cooperation and enthusiastic backing from the international community.

Sharon stressed, however, that all eyes would be on Abbas's performance in curbing violence by radical militants.