Mr Arafat: Hopes partnership will continue

At a briefing of European Union leaders in Austria, Mr Arafat said that he now considered the Israeli Prime Minister, Binjamin Netanyahu, his new partner in the peace process.

"There is no doubt that Netanyahu became my partner," Mr Arafat said, adding that an independent Palestinian state "is coming very soon".

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Under the interim peace deal the Israelis have agreed to withdraw from a further 13% of the West Bank and begin releasing Palestinian prisoners.

In return the Palestinians are to take action against militants, and to cancel the PLO charter's call for the destruction of Israel.

But as the Middle East leaders signed the accord, together with US President Bill Clinton, they warned that opponents of peace might use violence to try to destroy what they had achieved.

Anger over deal

Although the peace deal has been broadly welcomed around the world, there has been an angry reaction from hardliners on both sides.

Jewish settlers in the West Bank have said they again plan to block roads throughout the West Bank when their Sabbath ends on Sunday.

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Mr Netanyahu faces a no-confidence vote when he returns on Monday from right-wingers in his coalition government, who say the deal amounts to treason and surrender.

The accord has also been condemned by Palestinian opposition groups based in Syria, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

Hardliners vow to sabotage deal

The Palestinian Forces Alliance, a linkup of eight radical groups, denounced the deal, saying it was "aimed at turning the battle into a Palestinian-Palestinian conflict instead of a confrontation against Israel.

Syria also called it a surrender of Palestinian rights.

Call for courage

President Clinton, who helped broker the deal, called on both sides to have the courage to keep the peace process moving forwards.

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"Keeping the peace process on track will require continued courage by Israelis and Palestinians in the months ahead," he said, speaking in his weekly radio address.

"But this agreement shows what is possible when the will for peace is strong."

The president said the United States would carry on offering support.

The European Union, the United Nations, Egypt, Jordan and Russia have also welcomed the accord.

Arafat seeks aid

Mr Arafat visited Austria, which currently holds the EU presidency, on his way home, asking for European support in the form of aid.

The Austrian Foreign Minister, Wolfgang Schuessel, said the EU would continue to provide technical and economic aid to the Palestinians.

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Mr Arafat has in the past called for the EU - which is the Palestinians' biggest provider of aid - to play a bigger role in the peace process.