With Palestinians and Israelis gearing up for their respective elections, UN Secretary- General Kofi Annan on Tuesday urged both parties to accelerate existing efforts to build peace and mutual trust.

"Their elections will have important repercussions on the peace process," Annan said in a message to the United Nations Latin American and Caribbean Meeting on the Question of Palestine, being held in Caracas, Venezuela.

But he added that the parties must act on their obligations under the roadmap, an outline peace plan which aims to achieve two states -- Israel and Palestine -- living side by side within secure and internationally recognized borders.

"Palestinians need to know that the future viability of a Palestinian state will not be eroded by settlement activity and barrier construction. And Israelis need to be assured that their security will not be compromised by failure to act decisively against terror," Annan said.

The message was delivered by David McLachlan-Karr, the UN resident coordinator in Venezuela, on behalf of the UN chief.

While acknowledging obstacles facing international efforts to engage the parties in political negotiations, the secretary- general found signs of hope in Israel's disengagement from the Gaza Strip and parts of the West Bank and the recent agreement on the Rafah crossing.

"These welcome developments, coupled with an end to the closure regime in the West Bank, could bring appreciable change to the daily suffering of ordinary Palestinians," he said.

But Annan warned that in order to secure progress on broader issues, the parties must redouble their peace efforts.

Source: Xinhua