UNITED NATIONS, Oct 27 (AFP) - UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on Wednesday congratulated Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon for the vote in Israel's parliament that approved his plan to withdraw troops and settlers from Gaza.
"The secretary general congratulates Prime Minister Sharon on the historic vote in the Knesset which produced a clear majority in favour of his initiative," Annan's spokesman said in a statement.
"The secretary general remains supportive of a full and complete Israeli withdrawal, leading to the end of the occupation of the Gaza Strip," the statement said.
It also underlined Annan's long-standing position that the withdrawal could help to revive the stalled, internationally backed "roadmap" for peace between Israel and the Palestinians.
"Withdrawal could be an important step towards a process that will eventually result in the end of the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, paving the way for the establishment of a sovereign, democratic, viable and contiguous Palestinian state living side by side in peace with a secure Israel," it said.
Under Sharon's so-called disengagement plan, all 8,000 Jewish settlers will next year leave the Gaza Strip, which Israel seized during the 1967 Middle East war.
Israel's parliament or Knesset voted 67 to 45 in favour of the plan amid chaotic scenes in parliament on Tuesday but the project continues to bitterly divide his minority government, which remains in danger of collapsing.
10/27/2004 16:31 GMT - AFP