Home  Web Resources Free Advertising

 Home > International News

Change Your Life!

Israel, Palestinians agree to revive peace talks

News
Sports
Chat
Travel
Dhaka Today
Yellow Pages
Higher Education
Ask a Doctor
Weather
Currency Rate
Horoscope
E-Cards
B2K Poll
Comment on the Site
B2K Club

  March 10, 2000

RAMALLAH, West Bank, Mar 9: After weeks of acrimonious deadlock, Israel and the Palestinians agreed Wednesday to resume Intensive peace talks in Washington later this month aimed at reaching a final settlement in six months, reports AFP.

US Middle East trouble shooter Dennis Ross made the announcement after Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak held a breakthrough summit In this West Bank town, their second In less than 24 hours.

"The parties made good progress In addressing and resolving many of the Interim Issues and agreed to Intensify their negotiations," Ross said.

"Towards this end they agreed that negotiations would resume after the Eid in Washington," he told reporters.

"The objective is to achieve a framework agreement as soon as possible so that all the permanent status issues can be resolved by September 13."

Israeli radio said Oded Eran and Yasser Abed Rabbo, who have headed the  respective, would lead the negotiations Israeli and Palestinian sides in earlier talks.

The breakthrough came amid continued stalemate in talks with Syria, which said Wednesday that Israel's announcement it will withdraw occupation troops from Lebanon by July was not in Itself enough for peace and insisted on a return of the occupied Golan Heights.

It also followed a firm pledge by Arafat on Tuesday to declare an Independent state after the September target date even if there is no peace deal, and warnings from both Palestinian and Israeli officials of an explosion of violence if there is no progress.

Barak, who was elected on a pledge of forging peace with Israel's Arab neighbors this year, has been struggling for months to keep the two sides afloat.

A Palestinian official had told AFP they had agreed on a new May deadline for a frame work peace deal and set dates for further Israeli troop with drawls from the West Bank, with the timetables accompanied by US guarantees.

A summit between Arafat, Barak and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak Is due to take place on Thursday afternoon In the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, where a key interim peace deal was signed In September.

The two sides failed to sign a framework peace accord In mid February to outline solutions to the most sensitive issues in the decades old conflict including the borders of a Palestinian state and control over Jerusalem.

Negotiations broke down after a previous Arafat-Barak summit in early February failed to resolve the dispute over a 6.1 percent handover of West Bank land which was due to take place In January under the terms of last year's Sharm accord.

The Palestinians had demanded to be consulted about which land was handed over, but Israel refused, saying It was not obliged to discuss the transfer and had no Intention of including areas near Jerusalem as Arafat demanded.

"The main issue that was discussed today was the 6.1 per cent," another Palestinian official said, adding that Israel had agreed to redeploys from areas outside Ramallah and Bir Zeito and an area southeast of Jersualem.

Source: The Daily Star


Copyright © Bangla2000. All Rights Reserved.
About Us  |  Legal Notices  |  Contact for Advertisement