World Tribune.com


Barak, Arafat consult secretly in preparation for summit

SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Thursday, November 2, 2000

JERUSALEM — Despite rising violence, Israel and the Palestinian Authority are preparing for a summit with President Bill Clinton and the launch of a new U.S. peace offensive.

PA Chairman Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak have discussed the agenda of a summit in at least one secret telephone contact over the weekend and the need to first reduce violence in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Barak warned Arafat to halt the violence, aides said, but the PA chairman said he faces difficulty in ending attacks.

Arafat and Barak are expected to meet Clinton separately at the White House between Nov. 12 and 16, the sources said. They said the sides will explore the prospect of another round of intensive talks meant to result in a peace treaty.

Clinton is preparing a plan for an interim agreement that would establish a truncated Palestinian state in about 70 percent of the Gaza Strip and 50 percent of the West Bank. The agreement would also call for the continuation of final status talks that would resolve border issues as well as the fate of Jerusalem and the Palestinian refugees.

So far, both the PA and its Saudi allies have rejected the Clinton plan.

The Clinton proposal is expected to be discussed late Wednesday in talks between Israeli Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami and U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. On the following day, Ms. Albright will meet PA minister and senior negotiator Saeb Erekat.

PA sources said Arafat will press for a Palestinian state with international peacekeepers during his talks with Clinton. The sources said Arafat will not agree to an exclusive U.S. role in the peacekeeping efforts.

The diplomatic efforts proceed as fighting continues to escalate in the Palestinian territories. Shootouts were reported overnight Wednesday near Ramallah, Bet Sahour, Jenin, Gaza and Nablus. At Bet Sahour, Israeli tanks responded with shell fire.

Palestinian sources said five Palestinians were killed, four of them in clashes near the Gaza transit point at Karni. Palestinian forces for the first time fired anti-tank weapons -- rocket-propelled grenades meant to stop armored vehicles.

Later, a bomb exploded near an Israeli convoy as civilian vehicles and soldiers made their way to a Jewish settlement in Gaza. Nobody was reported injured.

Clashes continued in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday and Palestinians reported that two demonstrators were killed.

For the first time, however, a Palestinian opposition leader urged Arafat to stop shooting attacks on Israeli targets. "We are against the use of weapons of war," said Nayef Hawatmeh, head of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine in an interview with the French daily Le Figaro. "We are for the continuation of the intifada by peaceful demonstrations or with stones. We have asked Arafat to calm his fighters. Israel's superiority is total: 130 dead on our side and five on theirs."

Barak has not acknowledged his quiet diplomatic contacts with the PA. He told visiting German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder Arafat has not signalled any halt the violence and that Israel must prepare for a struggle for its basic rights and vital interests.

"I have no doubt that the PA knows that the military arm can be much more painful," Barak said. "I spoke to Arafat earlier and clarified our positions."

Thursday, November 2, 2000


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