Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas said he opposes any use of force to disarm Palestinian militant groups, in an interview with the German weekly Der Spiegel to appear in Monday's edition. "We don't want conflict with the armed organisations, but agreement," he said. The president of the Palestinian Authority said militants from Hamas, Fatah and Islamic Jihad must be integrated into the Palestinian security forces.

"After that, there will be no illegal arms, because the fighters must first hand them over," he told Der Spiegel.

Abbas also pledged that the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza would be free of violence.

"People will throw flowers at the Israelis, and not stones," he said.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad agreed on February 12 to maintain an informal truce following talks with Abbas.

The Palestinian leader had been seeking their agreement on a mutual cease-fire with Israel which he announced at a breakthrough summit with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in Egypt earlier this month.

The Israeli cabinet is slated to vote Sunday on Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plan to evacuate all 21 Gaza settlements as well as another four in the northern West Bank.

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2005