Efforts intensify to reach Mideast cease-fire

Peres takes break to honor Israeli veterans

April 23, 1996
Web posted at: 8:45 a.m. EDT (1245 GMT)

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Negotiations to forge a peace initiative between Hezbollah guerrillas and Israel have reached an intense stage, U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher said Tuesday after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres for more than an hour.

Neither Christopher nor Peres would say if they were on the brink of a cease-fire agreement.

"We are in a very intense period now," Christopher said during a break in the meeting. "We discussed the American proposal for a cease-fire and for a strengthened statement of the 1993 understandings." (204K AIFF sound or 204K WAV sound)

Standing beside Christopher, Peres added, "We are in the middle of the stream. There is a serious attempt on the part of everybody." (230K AIFF sound or 230K WAV sound)

From Israel, Christopher returned Tuesday to Damascus, where he met with Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk Shaara. Christopher met Monday with Syrian President Hafez Assad to discuss a possible peace initiative.

Fighting continues

While negotiations intensified, the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah moved into its 13th day.

Israeli gunboats shelled the coastal highway connecting Beirut to the southern port city of Tyre, and Israeli forces destroyed a water reservoir that supplies 20 Lebanese villages.

Hezbollah countered by launching 24 Katyusha rockets into northern Israel, according to United Nations officials.

Since the fighting began, about 150 people have been killed -- mostly Lebanese civilians -- and more than 300 people have been wounded on both sides. At least 400,000 Lebanese have been displaced, and thousands of residents in northern Israel have fled their homes.

Israel's memorial day

Christopher is shuttling between Israel and Syria -- Israel's most powerful Arab foe and the main power broker for Lebanon -- in an attempt to reach a lasting agreement.

Since flying to the Middle East Saturday, Christopher has already made two trips each to Israel and Syria.

Peres briefly broke off negotiations Tuesday to join bereaving families at Israel's national military cemetery. Tuesday marked Israel's memorial day to honor veterans. Christopher and Peres are to meet later Tuesday.

In Tuesday's first meeting, Christopher said he and Peres were discussing an American proposal for a cease-fire that would strengthen the understandings reached after a similar Israeli blitz in 1993. Under that accord, Israel and Hezbollah agreed not to attack civilians.

U.S. officials expect the cease-fire talks to last at least another day.

"It's still unclear to me how fast we can move, how soon we can get an agreement -- if we can get an agreement," said State Department spokesman Nicholas Burns. "I believe we are moving forward, but it is a difficult process."

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

Related story:

• Cease-fire negotiations move slowly - April 22, 1996

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