The US Secretary of State, Colin Powell, has arrived in Israel for talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders.
Mr Powel's first visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories in 18 months follows the recent death of the Palestinian President, Yasser Arafat.
Mr Powell is to meet Israeli leaders in Jerusalem and Palestinian leaders in the West Bank for talks on a Palestinian presidential election, scheduled for January.
He is also expected to discuss the stalled ‘road map’ peace plan.
