The new Palestinian government led by Ahmed Qurei was approved by the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) on Wednesday.

"It is an important step forward that a Palestinian government is now in place," said Foreign Minister Petersen. "Implementation of the Road Map for Peace must now be resumed as soon as possible."

"The new Palestinian government must take concrete and credible measures to put a end to all terrorist attacks against Israelis," said Mr Petersen. "It is essential that the new government gains control of the security forces, as stipulated in the Road Map. However, security cannot be viewed in isolation, but must be considered in the context of the overall political situation. The Palestinians need support to deal with militant groups. Israel can best contribute by fulfilling its obligations in accordance with the Road Map, which include refraining from military action, freezing all settlement activity and ceasing construction of the security wall on occupied Palestinian territory."

"The formation of the new Palestinian government will give the Middle East peace efforts a new chance. I urge the parties to make the best possible use of this opportunity so that the Road Map, which is to lead to the establishment of a Palestinian state in 2005, can be implemented with no further delays," said the Foreign Minister.