The Palestinian leadership expressed its support Thursday night for a ceasefire announced at the weekend by Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, while calling on Israel to stop its "aggressive" actions.

"The Palestinian leadership has given its total support to the decision to cease fire, which has been well received by the Palestinian people," said a communique issued following a meeting of the excecutive committee of Arafat's Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).

The statement said Arafat's decision, announced Saturday, had thwarted the "opportunity for the government of (Israeli Prime Minister) Ariel Sharon to carry out its aggressive plan after the attack against innocent civilians in Tel Aviv that has been condemned by the Palestinian leadership."

That was a reference to a suicide bomb outside a waterfront nightclub last Friday that took the lives of 20 young people, mostly Israelis.

The statement called for an end to Israeli aggression, claiming that Israeli attacks had "continued on the ground since the announcement (by Israel) of a so-called ceasefire" on May 22.

The meeting, held in Ramallah and chaired by Arafat, took place without the participation of several committee members because of travel restrictions imposed by Israel, the statement said

(chinadaily.com.cn 06/08/2001)