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Israeli-Palestinian peace talks continue Monday
Focus on Israeli troop withdrawal from Hebron
October 6, 1996
Web posted at: 8:20 p.m. EDT (0020 GMT)EREZ CHECKPOINT, Gaza Strip (CNN) -- Israeli and Palestinian negotiators closed three hours of talks with an agreement to establish a committee to implement a long-delayed Israeli troop withdrawal from the disputed West Bank town of Hebron.
Meeting in U.S.-brokered talks in a drab, military-style compound near the Gaza-Israel border, Israel and the PLO said they would activate a committee on Hebron redeployment but had yet to agree on a venue. The Hebron committee will meet Monday, Israel Television reported.
"The parties reiterated their commitment to Oslo and its implementation," said Israeli negotiator Dore Gold, referring to Israel-PLO peace deals forged in the Norwegian capital.
"We have a difficult task ahead of us. We are determined to exert every possible effort to expedite the implementation of the interim agreement on the ground," chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said after the talks.
U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher, dispatched to the region after an emergency PLO-Israel summit at the White House last week, said the situation is still dangerous, although tensions had eased.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu assured Christopher that he would carry out signed agreements with the PLO.
But Israel wants "adjustments" to the security arrangements that the two sides signed in 1993, and that has emerged as a major stumbling block in the talks.
"We have real security concerns brought about by the mass firings of Palestinian policemen who were supposed to protect the Jewish population in Hebron against attacks," said Netanyahu.
The Palestinians have said they refuse to renegotiate the Oslo agreement. "We are asking for implementation, precise implementation," Arafat said.
(19 sec. /205K AIFF
or WAV sound)The talks Monday will focus on the divisive issue of Hebron, a West Bank city of nearly 100,000 Palestinians where some 400 Israeli settlers live protected by a heavily armed Israeli security force.
Israel agreed to withdraw from Hebron as part of the Oslo talks, but that process was halted during a string of suicide bombing attacks earlier this year.
Israel ended its 10-day curfew on Hebron Sunday and pulled its tanks back from some populous areas. It also said it would end its closure of Tulkarm and Jenin in Gaza, while allowing some 2000 workers to return to their jobs at the Erez industrial zone.
(14 sec. /155K AIFF
or WAV sound)In addition to the Hebron withdrawal and the closing of part of a controversial tunnel in Jerusalem, Arafat said the main issues for Palestinians are the need for a corridor linking the West Bank and Gaza Strip and an airport in Gaza that the Israeli government hasn't permitted.
Netanyahu in recent days has softened his rhetoric, but it remains to be seen whether he will offer substantive concessions to the Palestinians.
CNN Correspondents Brent Sadler, Walter Rodgers and Reuters contributed to this report.
Related stories:
- Israel, Palestinians prepare for talks - October 6, 1996
- Pressure builds on Netanyahu to make concessions - October 5, 1996
- Palestinians gloomy about peace talks - October 5, 1996
- Palestinians keep lid on protests - October 4, 1996
- Netanyahu asks Palestinians not to lose hope - October 3, 1996
Related sites:
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- Europa - The European Union Page
- Special Section - Struggle for Peace
- Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Arab.net
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