Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas hailed the outcome of the Sharm el-Sheikh summit but stressed applying the truce is the real test.
"The agreement to stop violence ... between Israelis and Palestinians everywhere is an important matter, and we need to implement that on the ground, which is the real test," Abbas told reporters in Ramallah.
Abbas said Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon agreed at their meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, Tuesday to pull out Israeli troops from five zones comprising major cities and their surrounding.
"This implies removing Israeli roadblocks and replacing Israeli troops with Palestinian police," he said.
In the meantime, Arab League Secretary-General Amr Mousa applauded the meeting's outcome calling it "a real chance for progress toward reactivating the peace process."
"The Sharm el-Sheikh summit provided a great opportunity for both the Israeli and Palestinian sides to prove that they are equally serious about implementing the road map for peace in the Middle East," Moussa said in a statement issued in Cairo.
The landmark meeting between Abbas and Sharon was hosted by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and attended by Jordan's King Abdullah.
© Copyright 2005 by United Press International
