UNITED NATIONS, Dec 21 (AFP) - UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on Tuesday said he now saw brighter prospects for a long-elusive peace between Israelis and Palestinians in the Middle East.
"We see that the dynamics on the ground have changed and there is an opening which, if effectively exploited, can move the process forward," Annan said when asked about the conflict after the death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
"I think that the prospects for peace are brighter. It doesn't mean that we don't have difficulties ahead of us, but I think we do have a real chance to make progress," he told reporters at UN headquarters in New York.
The United Nations is helping to organise international observers who will monitor next month's landmark election to choose a successor to Arafat, and Annan said he was expected a successful vote.
"In an interesting sort of way, perhaps it's going to be one of the best prepared elections because we have been working with them and on it for about a year," he said.
"I'm hopeful that they will have very successful elections, and it will cap very smooth transition arrangements that the Palestinians have embarked on since the death of president Arafat," Annan said.
He added that the diplomatic quartet -- the United Nations, United States, European Union and Russia -- behind the stalled "roadmap" for peace would be working together in the new year to help revive the process.
"In addition to the quartet, there are many other countries in Europe and elsewhere who have become very engaged in this process as well as countries in the region," he said.
12/21/2004 17:32 GMT - AFP