Sharon shuns UK's Palestinian plea

Sharon has banned the Palestinian leadership from travelling to London

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JERUSALEM -- Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has refused an appeal to allow senior Palestinian officials to attend a British-sponsored conference in London, diplomats said.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair sent a letter to Sharon stressing the need for a Palestinian delegation -- possibly including Palestinian President Yasser Arafat -- to attend the conference on reforms in the Palestinian Authority planned for Tuesday.

"The prime minister reiterated from the outset that the decision not to allow the delegation to go is not a decision against the British government," a senior Israeli official was quoted by Reuters.

"It's inconceivable that a person that sends suicide bombers and instigates terrorist action will also send a delegation on his behalf to talk about reforms."

Sharon was given Blair's letter by British ambassador Sherard Cowper-Coles, officials said.

Britain called the conference in the hope that by bringing Palestinians together with the "quartet" of U.N., European Union, Russian and U.S. negotiators, it may revive Israeli-Palestinian talks.

Delegates plan to discuss political, judicial, administrative, economic and constitutional reform.

But a statement issued after an Israeli cabinet meeting on Sunday said Sharon told ministers Israel objected to discussions being conducted in London about Palestinian reforms.

"Reforms in the Palestinian Authority need to be done here," he said.

The Palestinian delegates are likely now to take part in the conference by telephone.

Israel imposed a travel ban on the Palestinian delegation in response to a double suicide bombing last week in Tel Aviv in which 22 people were killed.

Blair made an appeal to Sharon in a letter

Britain's Foreign Secretary Jack Straw has said that Britain will press on with the meeting.

He told the UK's Press Association: "The Prime Minister and I will next week go ahead with a meeting on Palestinian reform, and discuss with key Palestinians and international partners how to give new momentum to Palestinian reform.

"This is an important initiative. The reform agenda matters too much for us to allow it to become stalled. It is vital to the search for peace.

"We are therefore holding consultations with leading Palestinians who are committed to reform as well as with the Quartet and other interested parties."

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