The Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat, has described Thursday's talks between Palestinian officials and the US Secretary of State, Colin Powell, as constructive.

In an interview with the Qatari satellite television channel Al-Jazeera, Mr Arafat said he expected positive results.

He said there had been an agreement that Americans, Egyptians and Jordanians would train the Palestinian security force.

Later on Saturday the newly appointed Palestinian interior minister, Abdel Razak Yahya, is due to meet the CIA director, George Tenet, in Washington to discuss security matters.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service