RAMALLAH, May 11: US President George Bush has reiterated in a letter that he is committed to a Palestinian state alongside Israel and to Middle East peace talks, a top Palestinian official said on Tuesday.

Palestinians have been furious with Bush since he said last month that Israel could expect to keep parts of the West Bank under any final peace deal and ruled out chances that Palestinian refugees could return to former homes.

Bush's comments were made in a three-page letter to Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurie. "Mr Bush reiterated his vision for a two-state solution and the principle that no side should pre-empt final status negotiations," cabinet minister Saeb Erekat told Reuters.

"He also stressed twice in the letter that the objective of the peace process is to end the occupation that began in 1967." Mr Bush gave Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon the unprecedented assurances to support a plan for a withdrawal from the Gaza Strip - an initiative that is now in doubt after being voted down by hardliners in Sharon's Likud party.

Palestinians fear that the real aim of Sharon's plan is to strengthen Israel's hold on parts of the West Bank and deprive them of a viable state. Both the West Bank and Gaza were captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war. -Reuters.