Powell's Middle East mission

COLIN Powell arrived in Israel last night for his first visit in 18 months, signalling a new push for Middle East peace following the death of the Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

The United States secretary of state is due to meet Israeli leaders in Jerusalem and senior Palestinians in the West Bank today for talks on a Palestinian presidential election scheduled for 9 January and the stalled "road map" peace plan. Earlier yesterday, US envoy William Burns met Palestinian leaders and said Israel should take steps to smooth the way for the ballot to choose a successor to Arafat.

A senior Israeli official said that prime minister Ariel Sharon’s cabinet would consider requests to pull troops away from West Bank cities, a move Palestinians called crucial to the success of the election.