Ailing Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, currently hospitalized in Paris, hailed George W. Bush's re-election on Wednesday.

"President Arafat welcomed Bush's victory and voiced the hope that his new mandate and the confidence placed in him by the American people will give new momentum to the Middle East peace process," Arafat's advisor Mohammed Rashid was quoted French TF1 television reported.

"The Palestinian leadership is going to have the most positiveattitude possible with respect to peace efforts," Rashid said.

Arafat's senior advisor Nabil Abu Rudeina told reporters: "We respect the choice of the American people and we are ready to workwith any American administration."

"We urge President Bush to work towards the implementation of the roadmap based on his own vision of two states (Israel and Palestine) living side by side in peace," he said.

Arafat had followed in his sickbed the US presidential electionwith close attention, saying he would respect any American president and deal with him.

Arafat, symbol of the Palestinian cause for four decades, fliedFriday to Paris for treatment from his headquarters in Ramallah inthe West Bank, where he had been confined by Israel for nearly three years.

He is currently hospitalized for medical tests in the Percy military hospital at Clamart, southwest of Paris, after one of hisdoctor declared last Thursday that he was suffering from a potentially fatal blood disorder.

Bush administration initiated the roadmap peace plan, which calls on Palestinians and Israelis to take immediate steps to improve security and cooperation and envisions the establishment of an independent permanent Palestinian state by the end of 2005.