Gaza City, June 29: A top aide to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat said today it would take another two to three days "to reach a unanimous Palestinian agreement" on a suspension of anti-Israeli attacks by militants. "As things stand, we still need another two to three days to reach a unanimous Palestinian agreement" on the truce, Nabil Abu Rudeina said.

That was so "even if there is an urgent need to announce it (the truce) so that the current regional climate improves," he added.

Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmud Abbas has tried to convince militant factions to endorse a ceasefire with Israel over the past weeks.

The talks included the hardline Hamas movement, its smaller rival Islamic Jihad and Arafat's Fatah party, as well as other smaller factions.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad spokesmen in the Gaza Strip consistently said over the past week that the truce would be announced by Monday at the latest.

An Arab League source in Cairo, where several rounds of talks were held, affirmed the ceasefire would be made official tonight or tomorrow morning simultaneously in Cairo and the Palestinian territories.

A Hamas official, speaking in Beirut, confirmed that the factions were still finalising the terms of the accord to suspend attacks against Israel.

Bureau Report