US President George W. Bush will urge Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas to improve security in Gaza during their White House talks scheduled for Oct. 20, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said Thursday.

"The meeting will be an opportunity to talk about the way forward," McClellan said, noting "the Gaza disengagement was successful and presents us with an opportunity to move the peace process forward."

"It is important that the Palestinian leadership act to end violence in Gaza and that means policing Gaza to prevent violence from occurring in the first place and we are there to support them as they do so," the spokesman added.

On Wednesday, Abbas said in Cairo that he would travel to Washington to seek Bush's help in halting the escalating violence between Israel and Palestinian militants.

Israel, a staunch ally of the United States, has carried out raids on militant targets inside the Gaza Strip after it completed a pullout from the Palestinian territory on Sept. 12.

Air strikes continued despite declaration by militant groups such as the Islamic Resistance Movement to end attacks on Israel from Gaza.

Violence between Israelis and Palestinians renewed in the past few weeks, poisoning hopes that Israel's pullout from Gaza would improve chances for peace.

Source: Xinhua