UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan welcomed the latest agreement reached between Israel and the Palestinian Authority on the Gaza-Egypt border crossing, UN spokeswoman Marie Okabe said Tuesday.

In a statement issued by the spokeswoman, Annan said 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," Okabe noted.

The Secretary-General also expressed his appreciation to the Quartet's Middle East Envoy James Wolfensohn and to the US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, for their efforts in brokering the deal, and he thanked the European Union for its proposed technical assistance in its implementation, the spokeswoman added.

Israel and the Palestinians clinched a long-awaited deal on Tuesday on Gaza border crossings after intense talks brokered by visiting US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

Source: Xinhua