Clinton rams through a ceasefire signed by neither side

CAIRO — U.S. President Bill Clinton has succeeded in ramming through a ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

The agreement was not signed by either Israel or the PA. Israeli and PA officials said they were uncertain whether the agreement would be honored.

The agreement achieved at the summit in the Sinai resort of Sharm e-Sheik includes an immediate end to the violence, the opening of the Palestinian territories and the Gaza airport as well as the establishment of an international inquiry into the mini-war that began on Sept. 28.

"I believe we have made real progress today," Clinton said on Tuesday. "When we leave here today we will have to work hard to realize what has been agreed. Our primary objective has been to end the current violence."

Clinton said Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and PA Chairman Yasser Arafat have agreed to call for a ceasefire, eliminate points of friction and end incitement to violence.

"All that is being done at this summit is declarations," Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer said. "We'll see what happens in the field."

The ceasefire also includes a mechanism by Israel, the PA and the United States to monitor the suspension of violence.

"The most immediate achievement is the halt in the violence," Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami said. "We don't have a military solution to the Palestinian problem. Anyone who believes we do is dreaming."

The agreement, which ended the summit, also includes the establishment of a U.S.-led committee of inquiry into the mini-war between Israel and the PA as well as a vague commitment to resume the peace process.

PA officials at Sharm confirmed the key points of the Clinton statement. "We are not happy, but we want to protect the lives of our people," PA International Cooperation Minister Nabil Shaath said.

Israeli sources said the most difficult part of Clinton's effort was obtaining a clear commitment from Arafat to stop attacks by his Fatah gunmen. In Gaza, PA security chief Mohammed Dahlan warned that violence will continue and he will not disarm Fatah.

Officials said the sequence of events agreed by Israel and the PA is an immediate ceasefire followed by an Israeli lifting of the closure of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. If the ceasefire holds for two days, Israel will begin withdrawing troops and tanks from forward positions.

In another two weeks, Clinton will convene Israeli and PA negotiators to resume peace talks, officials said.