BRUSSELS, Feb. 21 (Xinhuanet) -- US President George W. Bush told European leaders here Monday that his government supports Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts and a free and peaceful Palestine.

    "Our greatest opportunity, and our immediate goal, is peace in the Middle East," said Bush in a speech delivered at the Royal Concert, a 19th century government building for banquets and meetings.

    "We seek peace between Israel and Palestine for its own sake. We also know that a free and peaceful Palestine can add to the momentum of reform through the broader Middle East," he said.

    Bush, who is on a five-day European fence-mending tour, promised to send Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice to an international conference in London next month which is to focus one fforts to help Palestinian authorities reform their finances and security system.

    Bush pledged to raise the flag of a free Palestine, saying the world must not rest until there a just and lasting resolution to this conflict.

    Bush also said Palestinian reforms should be carried out on a step-by-step basis and urged Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas to grasp the opportunity of putting together a strategy of reform.

    Peace between Israel and the Palestinians based on a two-state solution is within reach, Bush said. Both sides should work together for the peaceful solution to the conflict.

    European leaders were also urged to cooperate with the US government in international efforts to seek a peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian issue.

    Brussels is the first stop in Bush's five-day visit. He will attend summit meetings of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the European Union on Tuesday before flying to Germany and Slovakia later this week. Enditem