LONDON, March 1 (Xinhuanet) -- An international meeting hosted by British Prime Minister Tony Blair to bolster support for the Palestinian Authority (PA) started in London on Tuesday as top world politicians gathered here to discuss how to support Palestinian reforms.

    Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, foreign ministers and senior officials from some 23 European and Arab nations, as well as top envoys from six international organizations including the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, were attending the meeting, which focus on helping the PA toprepare for Israel's planned withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and parts of the West Bank and get it ready for eventual statehood.

    Representatives from the so-called Middle East Quartet of the United States, Russia, the United Nations and the European Union would be among those attending at the one-day event, which took place in the Queen Elizabeth II conference center near the House of Parliament.

    The delegates were expected to discuss the need for reforms in the PA and to pledge both political and financial backing.

    The British government hoped the meeting would have clear outputs including a commitment by the PA to a strategic work program on reform and supporting from international community for that agenda.

    The meeting was also expected to produce a commitment to convene a donor conference to be held by the World Bank.

    A US-led coordinating group may be established to give concretefinancial and technical support to the PA.

    Israel did not present at the conference, which Britain said would not deal with the final status issues in the Roadmap peace plan but would mark a renewal of the peace process. Israel was said to be closely watching the outcome.

    Palestine has said it was hoping at the London meeting for substantial financial and logistical help and political positions that would consolidate the peace process.

    Abbas told the British Independent newspaper days before the meeting that he wanted the conference to lead to a full-scale international conference "to relaunch final status negotiations and a credible peace process."

    Rice, who arrived in London late on Monday, has urged Abbas to take firm action against Palestinian militant groups.

    But she was praising both Israelis and Palestinians for showingrestraint after a suicide bomb attack in Tel Aviv which killed five Israelis and wounded dozens more last week and calling on other countries to help Abbas by contributing money and political support.

    The Quartet would also meet on the sidelines of the London meeting, which Blair said would provide an opportunity for the PA to prove it was serious about meeting its obligations and to secure the international support it needs to achieve this. Enditem