The international diplomatic quartet which drafted a "roadmap" to peace between Israel and the Palestinians met to discuss implementation of the plan, and urged both sides to stop provocative action.

The meeting were attended by US Secretary of State Colin Powell, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov and Europe's foreign policy chief Javier Solana.

They urged the Palestinian Authority to rein in militants responsible for "acts of terror against all Israelis", in a joint statement which also called on Israel to stop "military actions that result in the killing of innocent Palestinian and other civilians".

"Such actions do not enhance security and undermine trust and prospects for cooperation," said the statement read by Annan.

In the corridors of the five star hotels on the shores of the Dead Sea, diplomatic activity buzzed as Israeli Foreign Minister Sylvan Shalom met separately with his Jordanian and Egyptian counterparts.

Following talks with Marwan Moasher of Jordan, Shalom said Israel was ready to hand over control of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank town of Bethlehem if the Palestinians assumed responsibility to "stop terrorism and violence".

"Israel is willing to leave Gaza and Bethlehem. It is up to the Palestinians to decide if they are willing to take the territories under their responsibility," Shalom said.

Shalom also announced a groundbreaking visit with the crown prince of Bahrain, Sheikh Sheikh Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa, saying it was his "first meeting" with an official from the tiny Gulf kingdom.

"It shows we have a very intensive dialogue with the Arab world in order to put an end to the conflict" with the Palestinians, said Shalom, who was planning talks later Sunday with the foreign minister of Qatar.

The UN chief also focussed on Iraq, meeting the country's US overseer Paul Bremer and announcing that a "preparatory conference" on Iraq's post-war reconstruction would be held at UN headquarters in New York next week.

"I hope (the conference) will also lead the donor community to be generous," Annan said, adding that Iraq desperately needed the jobs that the rebuilding effort would create.

Annan said the UN and its special representative Sergio Vieira de Mello were "working very closely" with Bremer to ensure a "smooth transition from the (US-led) coalition to the creation of an Iraqi government".

"There is a clear direction as to the formation of the interim Iraqi authority ... (and) Mr. Bremer expects to move forward in the next couple of weeks ... and other political institutions will be set up," Annan said.

The US overseer has said he will appoint an interim administration next month after consultations with Iraqi leaders but has stressed that ultimate authority will rest with the the US-led coalition until an elected government has been installed, a process that may take as long as two years.

Arab League chief Amr Mussa hit out at Bremer's blueprint Sunday, saying it was "not enough."

"What we want to see is an Iraqi government, call it provisional, call it temporary. We want to deal with an Iraqi government," he said.

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