Palestinian leader Mr Yasser Arafat today welcomed the resumption of high-level contacts between the Israelis and Palestinians and said he was prepared for more contacts.
Mr Arafat spoke briefly to reporters at his battered headquarters in Ramallah. His comments came a day after officials from both sides confirmed that Israeli Prime Minister Mr Ariel Sharon held secret talks on Wednesday with Mr Ahmed Qureia, a senior Palestinian negotiator.
"There is a decision within the Palestinian leadership to continue talks with the Israelis," Mr Arafat said. "We are ready for any talks as long as this might lead us to peace."
It was Sharon's first meeting with a senior Palestinian figure in about a year. However, it was not clear whether the Sharon-Qureia meeting would lead to additional talks.
"You have to remember that I asked Sharon to resume negotiations with me and he rejected this," Mr Arafat said.
Mr Arafat called on Sharon to resume talks just after Mr Sharon's Likud party won a convincing election victory on Jan. 28. Sharon publicly refused.
Mr Sharon accuses Mr Arafat of instigating violence and has called for his removal before peace talks with the Palestinians can resume.
The talks broke down two years ago, shortly before Mr Sharon was elected prime minister.
Palestinian officials said the meeting lasted less than two hours, and the two discussed a possible cease-fire and ways of solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.