Peres, Qureia discuss Gaza at forum

Vice Premier Shimon Peres and Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia discussed Israel's planned withdrawal from the Gaza Strip Saturday while meeting at the World Economic Forum in Jordan.

Peres said Palestinian authorities must do their best to end a recent flare-up of violence that some fear could complicate the pullout.

"We think that terrorist groups are trying to endanger peace," Peres told reporters before his meeting with

Qureia.

"We expect the Palestinian Authority to take immediate steps," He said, adding that violence "can endanger everything."

But Peres said he believed the pullout could still happen on time.

Worried Peres reassured by Qureia

Asked before the meeting if he thought the Palestinians were working to quell the violence, Peres answered: "As long as there is fire, no."

But after meeting Qureia he said he was reassured Palestinian officials would work on stopping the attacks.

"I was very pleased that (Qureia) said that the Palestinian Authority will take all the necessary measures to bring security ... And particularly to stop the latest outburst in Gaza which (is) always an obstacle and a danger to the continuation of the peace," Peres said after the closed-door meeting at a seaside resort.

The Palestinian Interior Ministery said Saturday that the militant Hamas had agreed to stop firing mortars and rockets at Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip.

"There's an attempt to get the peace process back on track in a bid to make the withdrawal from Gaza, if it happens, a serious, real (and) practical step," Qureia told reporters as he headed into the meeting, held on the sidelines of an international economic summit.

Qureia said he hoped the pullout would lead to the implementation of the road map, an internationally backed peace plan that calls for an end to Palestinian-Israeli violence and the creation of an independent Palestinian state.

A 'good opportunity'

Peres called the hour-long meeting a "good opportunity" to identify problems and suggest solutions.

Earlier, the Israeli vice premier told The Associated Press that the Gaza fighting was sparked by the radical Hamas movement and expressed hope that both sides would overcome the violence.

"It was a protest by Hamas against the Palestinian Authority," Peres said.

He said Hamas was apparently trying to respond to re-elections in certain Palestinian areas called for by the Palestinian Authority.

Asked how Israel will respond to the outburst, he said: "With great restraint."