Wednesday, March 2 2005 10:19 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

London: The Palestinian Authority on Tuesday (Mar 1, 2005) won ringing support from the European Union, the United States and other world powers for an ambitious raft of reforms intended to create a viable Palestinian State once an elusive Middle East peace becomes reality.

The endorsement from 23 nations and six major international organisations, including the United Nations, came during a day of talks in London haunted by a suicide bomb attack in Tel Aviv four days earlier that killed five people and shattered a fragile Israeli-Palestinian ceasefire.

"We've got a script that is clearer today than ever before," said British Prime Minister Tony Blair, host of the London Meeting on Supporting the Palestinian Authority.

"Everyone now accepts the two-state solution.... Doing it is the great task, but nobody can be in any doubt about what people want us to do," he said.

The blueprint, set out by Palestinian Authority President Mahmud Abbas, will see the European Union take the lead in coordinating international support for reform of Palestinians' political and administrative institutions.

The World Bank will play a similar role in rescuing the Palestinians' conflict-shattered economy, while the United States - breaking from its image as Israel's best friend - will lead expertise in developing security forces with the muscle to crack down on extremists.

In a 17-page set of conclusions, participants at the London meeting hailed the Palestinian Authority's blueprint for reforms, calling them "a major step in implementing its roadmap commitments".

But it added: "At the same time, participants urged and expect action by Israel in relation to its own roadmap commitments."

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said a US military security expert, Lieutenant General William Ward, would "soon relocate to the region to lead our efforts".

"He will obviously be an important set of eyes, ears and information about what is going on, on the ground and how well the parties are living up to obligations," she said.

Israel did not attend today's meeting, which the Palestinians regarded as a prelude to a full-dress peace conference which French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier offered to host in the second half of this year.

"We hope for a steady return to the spirit of reconciliation, through peaceful negotiations and successful negotiations based on legality and international legitimacy," Abbas told reporters in London.

Israel, still reeling from Friday's bomb attack, welcomed the outcome of the conference but remained wary.

"Israel stresses it will be impossible to move the political process forward in keeping with the roadmap as long as the Palestinian Authority does not firmly fight terrorism or dismantle terrorist organisations," Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's office said.

EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said economic measures, in addition to policing strategies, would help tackle terrorism.

"Terrorism will be fought by good police structures, but also by having the ordinary people against terrorism because the conditions of living are better," he told reporters.