United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Friday lauded the Geneva Accord, an unofficial peace plan drawn up by Israeli and Palestinian pacifists, saying it brings hope of peace to the Middle East.  

In a statement issued through his spokesman, Annan said he was "encouraged" after meeting Friday with the architects of the Geneva Accord, including former Palestinian Information Minister Yasser Abed Rabo and Israeli opposition leader Yossi Beilin, at the UN headquarters in New York.

"A major part of the Geneva Accord's importance comes from the hope of future reconciliation and peace that it brings to both Israelis and Palestinians," he said.

"The momentum needed for conflict resolution in the Middle East must come from people working together for change," he added.

Although the accord is not a substitute for official negotiations between Israel and Palestine, Annan stressed, "It has already achieved the important goal of stimulating debate among Palestinians and Israelis on the factors that must be resolved to end this long conflict."

Prior to their meeting with Annan, Abed Rabo and Beilin held talks with US Secretary of State Colin Powell in Washington earlier in the day.

The Geneva peace initiative contains proposals on removing a series of obstacles to peace in the Middle East, such as the status of Jerusalem and the return of Palestinian refugees. But it is strongly opposed by the Israeli government.

(Xinhua News Agency December 6, 2003)