LONDON, Jan 14: Talks on reforming the Palestinian Authority ended on Tuesday with British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw announcing a task-force meeting of the “quartet” on Middle East peace for next month in London.

Palestinian delegates, banned by Israel from travelling to Britain after a suicide bomb attack earlier this month, participated fully in the meeting thanks to a video link that worked better than expected, Straw said.

“We were determined that this meeting should not be seen as a one-off, but as part of a process which supported and complemented the work of the quartet,” Straw said.

Straw quoted the Palestinians, who spoke from Ramallah and Gaza, as promising that a further draft of a Palestinian constitution would be available “in, I believe, the next two weeks”.

Israel’s ban on Palestinian delegates sparked an intense diplomatic row between Israeli prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s government and Downing Street, with Israel accusing Britain of “rewarding terror” and London retorting that Israel was hampering reform efforts.

Britain’s International Development Minister Clare Short said on Sunday that Sharon had “destroyed” the conference aimed at helping the Palestinians build the institutions of a future state. According to a newspaper, Egypt is expected to propose a year-long truce at the conference.—AFP