WASHINGTON, Nov. 13 (Xinhuanet) -- US Secretary of State Colin Powell said on Saturday that he hoped to meet Palestinian leaders in the "very near future" to push for peace in the Middle East following the death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

    "I hope to be able to see them in the very near future to discuss what their plans are and how to move forward," Powell saidin an interview with NBC.

    Powell is expected to be in Egypt on Nov. 22-23 to attend an international conference on Iraq at the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. He could meet with the current and former Palestinian prime ministers, Ahmed Qurei and Mahmoud Abbas, respectively, there or on a visit to the Palestinian territories, US government officials said.

    Arafat died of illness on Thursday in Paris, France. Under the Palestinian law, a new leader should be elected within two months of an incumbent's death. Enditem