Hosted by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) at its headquarters in Lausanne the meeting aimed to address a number of outstanding sports-related issues.

The free movement of Palestinian athletes, coaches, officials and sports material, as well as foreign visiting athletes, was widely discussed and an agreement reached between the two NOCs.

It was agreed that both will make an assessment of the current difficulties they face and work together on concrete proposals and a mechanism that would help improve the situation before referring to their respective public authorities.

A second meeting will be scheduled in two months' time to review progress.

Supportive measures for the development of Palestinian sport were also an important point on the agenda.

The IOC confirmed it would provide experts to work on a long-term sports development strategy in Palestine in order to continue to assist not only the athletes but also coaches and sports administrators, and to identify ways to better promote sport and its values at grassroots level.

In the short run, priority will be given to assisting Palestinian athletes to move towards their dream of taking part in the Olympic Games in London next year.

Palestine made its Olympic debut at Atlanta in 1996 and have competed in every Games since.

They sent two runners and two swimmers to Beijing in 2008.

Representatives of the Olympic Committee of Israel promised they were ready to offer training opportunities to Palestinian athletes.

The participation of Israeli athletes in international competitions was another subject raised during the meeting, and all participants stressed their goodwill to use when possible their influence to address the issue with the relevant parties.

Both NOCs agreed to convene in Lausanne following IOC President Jacques Rogge's visit to the Middle East last October.

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