JERUSALEM -- Israeli leaders Monday promised U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell to help the Palestinians elect a president. The elections, in the wake of Palestinian president Yasser Arafat's death, are scheduled for Jan. 9.
At a press conference in Jerusalem, following his meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, Powell said: "We discussed the fact the Palestinians will need freedom of movement and ... access for candidates to move around or people to get to polling places.
"We didn't get into specifics or the timing of actions that Israel might take, but they understand what the need is and with respect to (Palestinians voting in) East Jerusalem there is a precedent for such a matter."
In the last elections Palestinians voted in post offices.
Shalom confirmed Israel would do "everything it can in order to ease conditions for the Palestinians to have their own elections, and it includes of course freedom of movement."
Israel would not do "anything that might damage or harm the security" but Shalom said he believes those issues could be coordinated with the United States and the Palestinians.
