Gaza - The radical Islamic Hamas movement on Saturday rejected efforts to hold early legislative elections.

"We reject discussing the idea of holding early legislative elections because it will be an over-jump to the will of the Palestinian people and a replacement of the legally elected leaders through abnormal circumstances," said Ismail Radwan, a senior Hamas leader.

Ramallah - French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner on Saturday said that he believes that a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians before the end of 
2008 is unlikely.

Attending the opening of a French-German financed industrial park in the West Bank city of Jenin, Kouchner said a general document could be signed within the time frame, but a final peace deal - which would include the main sticking point of the status of Jerusalem - was not expected.

Cairo  - Bahrain's Foreign Minister called for the establishment of a regional organization that includes Arab states as well as Turkey, Israel and Iran, media reports said on Wednesday.

Sheik Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa was quoted by the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat as saying "such an organization should be formed even if we don't recognize each other."

The aim of the grouping would be to resolve disputes its members have with one another, according to the minister.

"Let them all sit together in one group ... Why not become one organization to overcome this difficult phase?," he said.

New York - Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abdul Gheit Saturday charged that Israel showed too little willingness to compromise in the peace process with the Palestinians.

New York - After a day of sharp exchanges over the Middle East peace process and Iran's role in the region, world powers on Friday urged Israeli and Palestinian leaders to reach a final peace deal by the end of the year.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said she still believed a comprehensive agreement on a two-state solution was possible by the end of 2008, a goal first set in November 2007 at a US-hosted summit in Annapolis, Maryland.

Rice said the fact there was a process represented a change from the seven years of silence before Annapolis. Both sides had "come quite a long way from those dark days."

New York - The Middle East quartet charged with overseeing the Israeli-Palestinian peace process voiced confidence in the ongoing talks between the two sides toward a final resolution to the long conflict.

The quartet, made up of the United Nations, United States, European Union and Russia, said that a "meaningful and results- oriented" process was underway and again called for both sides to reach a deal by the end of this year, in a statement following talks at the United Nations in New York.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said she still believed a comprehensive agreement on a two-state solution was possible by the end of 2008, a goal first set in November 2007 at a US-hosted summit in Annapolis, Maryland.