The world is determined to push ahead with fresh Middle East peace moves and create an independent Palestinian state, according to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan who met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in his Ramallah headquarters here yesterday. Palestinian groups said they were ready for a formal cease-fire, seen as a crucial precursor to road map negotiations on Palestinian statehood, if Israel freed 8,000 prisoners and pulled back forces in the occupied West Bank. After his talks with Annan, Abbas said he expected to win militants over to a formal truce, cementing a tacit deal prone to violations, in talks with them today in Cairo. "We hope the dialogue in Cairo will yield positive results because the conditions are right among all parties concerned," he told reporters in the West Bank city of Ramallah. But Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon rejected the truce bid, repeating Israel's demand under the US-backed road map peace plan for Abbas to dismantle militant groups rather than negotiate with them.