NEW YORK, July 17 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - The Middle East Quartet, meeting in New York, have decided to send a team of intelligence experts under U.S. supervision to help the Palestinians reform their security apparatus. However, the quartet were split over the American demand of removing Palestinian President Yasser Arafat.

European and American officials announced, after the quartet meeting, which included the U.S., E.U., Russia and U.N., on Tuesday, July 16 evening, that this team will include intelligence officials from the U.S., Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia and will be under the leadership of the CIA.

However, a prediction from top E.U. diplomat Javier Solana that the first element of the team would be in place within two weeks was judged too optimistic by a senior U.S. official, who said more consultations with Israel and the Palestinians were needed first, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).

Though split on the issue of Arafat, the quartet supported the formation of a Palestinian state.

U.N. chief Kofi Annan, Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov and Danish Foreign Minister Per Stig Moeller, representing the European Union, all backed the beleaguered Arafat despite Bush's call for his ouster and less-than-subtle U.S. moves to marginalize him.

"We all share the end objective of two states living in peace, side by side," Annan said. "What we have to do is to work out how we get there ... in three years' time."

"As for Arafat, we all have our respective positions; the U.N. still recognizes Chairman Arafat, and we will continue to deal with him until the Palestinians decide otherwise," Annan said. Ivanov echoed those remarks.

“He [President Arafat] is the legitimately elected leader of Palestine, and while he is in this capacity, we will continue to maintain our relations with him," he said.

Moeller, whose country took over the rotating E.U. presidency earlier this month, took a similar stance but did not mention Arafat by name.

Meanwhile, the foreign ministers of Egypt and Jordan said the focus needed to remain on ending the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and on the creation of a Palestinian state, and not on specific people.

"Our position on the question of Yasser Arafat is well known, the position of the Americans is also well known, but this should not prevent us from working for peace and for security for all the peoples in the area," Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher said after meeting with members of the quartet over dinner in New York.

"I think the issue is not the person Mr. Arafat, but the occupation," agreed Jordanian Foreign Minister Marwan Moasher.

Israeli President Moshe Katsav is to meet Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar during a trip to Europe to push for reform in the Palestinian Authority, Israeli diplomatic sources said Tuesday, July 16.

Katsav is expected to deliver a message to the Spanish leader from Sharon insisting upon the need for reforms to kick start the region's faltering peace process, Spanish newspaper, El Mundo, reported.