An upcoming international donors conference meant to revive the Palestinian economy will also represent a major boost to the peace process, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Monday. "Only if the peace process rests on solid institutional and economic foundations does it have a chance of succeeding," he said. "That is why ... I strongly support the convening of a donors conference later this year." Ban was speaking at the opening of a meeting of the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee (AHLC), a group of donors to the Palestinian Authority. The meeting was attended by Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salaam Fayad. Monday's talks were part of preparations for a general donors conference scheduled for December. That conference will represent a key element in Western efforts to bolster Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in his confrontation with Hamas, the militant movement which violently seized control of Gaza in June.