UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Tuesday that he is hopeful that successful elections in Palestine will lead to smooth transition arrangements and bring brighter prospects for peace to the region.  

"I think the United Nations has been very active with the elections," he told reporters at his annual year-end press conference at the UN headquarters in New York.

"In an interesting sort of way, perhaps it is going to be one of the best-prepared elections because we have been working with them and on it for about a year," he added.

"The Israeli authorities have indicated that they will cooperate and remove some of the barriers or roadblocks to facilitate the movement of people during that period," he said, "So I am hopeful that they will have very successful elections and that they will cap the very smooth transition arrangements which the Palestinians have embarked on since the death of President Arafat."

He said that as a member of the Quartet, the United Nations will play its role along with other key members of the Middle Ease peace mediators, namely the US, the Russian Federation and the European Union.

"Indications are that all the members of the Quartet are going to be very active as we move into the new year," he said.

"We see that the dynamics on the ground have changed and there is an opening which, if effectively exploited, can move the process forward," he added.

He also called on other countries in Europe and elsewhere "who have become very engaged in this process," as well as countries in the region to work more closely with the world body.

"So, I think that the prospects for peace are brighter. It doesn't mean that we don't have difficulties ahead of us, but I think we do have a real chance to make progress," he concluded.

(Xinhua News Agency December 22, 2004)