Israeli-Palestinian Security Meeting Ends Without Ceasefire Agreement

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, March 25, 2002

Israeli-Palestinian Security Meeting Ends Without Ceasefire Agreement

The joint Israeli-Palestinian security committee met Sunday night in Tel Aviv, under the mediation by U.S. Mideast envoy Anthony Zinni, but concluded without a ceasefire declaration.

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The joint Israeli-Palestinian security committee met Sunday night in Tel Aviv, under the mediation by U.S. Mideast envoy Anthony Zinni, but concluded without a ceasefire declaration.

However, the two sides have agreed to hold another security meeting on Monday, according to Israel Radio.

At the meeting, the U.S. envoy presented a proposal, which was described by an Israeli official as "constructive", to bridge the disagreements between Israel and the Palestinians, the radio said.

The Palestinian delegates are due to brief the meeting to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat after the meeting, it added.

The two sides have met three times since the arrival of Zinni on March 14, but failed to draft the ceasefire declaration and detail the measures needed to implement the ceasefire.

The two sides have disagreements over the sequence of the ceasefire -- whether the Israeli withdrawal from the Palestinian territories and lifting of blockades on Palestinian cities should come first, or after the Palestinians take more actions to prevent terror attacks.

Differences have also existed over the duration from the implementation of the ceasefire to the stage in which diplomatic talks would resume.

Israel suggests the duration be set for a month, while the Palestinians suggest a period of two weeks.

Hours ahead of the meeting, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said that the security cabinet would decide on Monday, on the basis of the outcome of the meeting, whether to allow Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to attend the Arab League Summit, due in the Lebanese capital of Beirut on March 27-28.

The security cabinet would also discuss whether to block Arafat's return from Beirut if he is allowed to travel.

Earlier Sunday, Sharon told the weekly cabinet meeting that Arafat "will not leave (the West Bank city of) Ramallah as long as he does not act against the terror."

Arafat, who had been confined by Israel in Ramallah since last December until he was recently allowed to go freely in the Palestinian self-rule areas, is still banned from travelling outside of the Palestinian territories.

Israel conditioned Arafat's possible travel to the summit on the implementation of the U.S.-brokered Tenet plan after the ceasefire declaration is reached between Israel and the Palestinians.

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