Sharon Willing to Discuss Peace Proposal With Saudis: Solana

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, February 27, 2002

Sharon Willing to Discuss Peace Proposal With Saudis: Solana

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Visiting European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana has confirmed that Israeli PrimeMinister Ariel Sharon is willing to discuss the peace initiative proposed by Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul-Aziz.

Israel Radio quoted Solana as saying Wednesday that "the prime minister considers it an interesting idea and he would like to knowmore about the details" and that "he would be ready to meet anyone from Saudi Arabia to discuss the initiative."

Solana held meeting Tuesday with the prime minister, in an EU attempt to push Israel and the Palestinians to end the 17-month-oldviolence and back to the negotiating track.

Solana is expected to leave for Saudi Arabia Wednesday to meet with Abdullah after getting positive response from Israel and the Palestinians over the peace initiative, which proposes a pan-Arab recognition of the Jewish state in exchange for Israel's full-withdrawal to its pre-1967 war borders.

Israeli and Palestinian security officials already held a joint meeting Tuesday night in Tel Aviv, discussing detailed measures to calm the regional situation and the Saudi proposal.

An American security official was reportedly present at the meeting, which lasted about four hours without producing any substantive outcome.

Both Israeli and Palestinian officials refused to comment on thetalks, during which the Israeli delegation was headed by General Security Service (Shin Bet) Chief Avi Dichter, while the Palestinians were represented by Palestinian preventive security chiefs Jibril Rajoub and Mohammad Dahlan.

Israel demanded the Palestinians take more effective measures tocombat terror and dismantle militant organizations, including radical groups affiliated to the Palestinian mainstream Fatah movement.

In response, the Palestinians requested that Israel lift the travel ban on Palestinian National Authority (PNA) Chairman Yasser Arafat, who has been confined by Israeli army in the West Bank cityof Ramallah since early last December.

They also demanded that Israel cease its assassination policy and military strikes on PNA security targets in the territories.

The Palestinians canceled a security meeting scheduled for Sunday night and suspended all security and political contacts withIsrael in protest at a decision made Sunday by the Israeli securitycabinet to keep Arafat pinned down in Ramallah.

To break the impasse, Arafat on Monday ordered the resumption ofsecurity meetings with Israel after his talks with Solana and voiced his acceptance to the Saudi proposal.

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