The Secretary-General welcomes today's agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority on the Gaza-Egypt border crossing. He sees this development as a positive step towards building confidence between the two parties.

The Secretary-General believes that the opening of the Rafah crossing will contribute to improving the Palestinians' freedom of movement and economic activity.

The Secretary-General expresses his appreciation to the Quartet's Middle East Envoy James Wolfensohn and to the U.S. Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, for their efforts in brokering the deal, and he thanks the European Union for its proposed technical assistance in its implementation.