Brown confirms Palestinian investors' conference

LONDON (Reuters) - The United States and Britain will host an investors' conference aimed at bolstering the Palestinian economy in Bethlehem in March or April next year, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said on Tuesday.

The meeting is designed to follow on from the international donors' conference held in Paris on Monday, at which donors pledged $7.4 billion in aid to the Palestinians over the next three years.

"The UK will sponsor an investors' conference in Bethlehem in March or April 2008," Brown told a joint news conference with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

"The United States of America and Britain together will host the conference ... It's an important signal about the need for investment to create jobs for prosperity and opportunity in the Palestinian areas," he added.

Brown said he had been in talks with colleagues on what could be done to improve the Palestinian economy, including industrial parks, infrastructure development, microcredit and small business schemes.

"I believe there will be international support from a number of countries in Europe and America," he said.

"We stand ready to follow up the Bethlehem conference with other initiatives that would make it possible for people from all over the world to contribute to the economic development."

Abbas talked of a "golden" and "historic" opportunity for peace in the Middle East following the relaunch of peace efforts in Annapolis last month but urged Israel to halt settlement building.