Israel and the Palestinians will announce a cease-fire at Tuesday's summit in Egypt to halt more than four years of violence, officials from both sides said. The deal was reached ahead of the landmark meeting between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Both sides have said they hoped the highest-level meeting since 2000 would mean a halt to violence. It also signals a step toward reviving a U.S.-backed "road map" for a Palestinian state alongside a secure Israel. "We have agreed to declare a mutual cease-fire," said Mohammad Dahlan, a close Abbas aide who has been in pre-summit talks with the Israelis. "This cease-fire means a halt to all actions against Palestinians and Israelis in accordance with the road map," he told reporters. An Israeli official confirmed the agreement but said the text had yet to be finalized. Signaling new U.S. commitment after Yasser Arafat's death to ending decades of conflict, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice named Lt. Gen. William Ward as security coordinator to protect the budding Middle East peace moves. Both Sharon and Abbas had also accepted invitations to the White House in the Spring for talks with President Bush.
And - to all my Leftie Dove friends: be prepared to admit that the Bush Doctrine IS WORKING! MORE HERE.
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