Miliband on visit to Middle East

David Miliband held talks with the Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas

Foreign Secretary David Miliband has met the Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas on a visit to the Middle East.

The meeting in the West Bank city of Ramallah comes ahead of a US conference which will bring the Palestinians and Israelis together for peace talks.

Mr Miliband is also due to meet Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on his trip.

BBC Middle East correspondent Jeremy Bowen said Britain wanted to show it was prepared to do what it could to help start a new peace process.

Britain plans to donate about £250m to backing up the peace process if it can be established.

Intense negotiations

Jeremy Bowen said Mr Miliband would try to discover the key issues for both sides before the conference later this month.

These talks, to be held in Annapolis, near Washington DC, would bring the Palestinians and the Israelis together in a way that had not happened since 2000, our correspondent said.

It is understood leaders will look at the future for Jerusalem and Jewish settlements in the occupied territories, and the future of Palestinian refugees, many of whom lost their homes when Israel was created almost 60 years ago.

They will also aim to create a Palestinian state.

Currently there was "quite a distance" between the Palestinians and Israel so intense negotiations were expected, our correspondent added.