Rafah crossing on the Gaza-Egypt border will be opened for two days from Tuesday to Thursday, well-informed Palestinian sources said on Monday.

The re-opening came as visiting US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said earlier Monday that Israel and the Palestinians were very close to reaching an agreement on the operation of the crossing.

Rafah crossing is the only exit for Palestinians living in Gazato travel abroad. The crossing has been shut down since Israel withdrew from Gaza in September.

Negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians on the re-opening of the crossing have so far failed to strike a deal.

Israel and the Palestinians have agreed to an Egypt-proposed plan to reopen the crossing under the supervision of the European Union.

However, Israel and the Palestinians are at odds over the role of the European inspectors and whether to install monitors at the crossing.

Rice arrived in Ramallah on Monday after a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in Jerusalem earlier in the day.

The sources added senior Palestinian officials will be allowed to travel via Rafah crossing by their own cars starting from Nov.25, and private Palestinian vehicles will be allowed to travel via Rafah crossing by the start of 2006.

Saleem Abu Safeya, Palestinian chief of crossing, told reporters that there are only technical issues to be arranged, mainly with the Egyptian side.

Abu Safeya added that the next 24 hours will witness a real and fair solution to Rafah crossing.

(Xinhua News Agency November 15, 2005)