Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, October 25, 2002
Palestinians, Israelis Resume Peace Talks
Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat and Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres resumed talks Thursday on ending violence and restarting the stalled peace negotiations between the two sides.
Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat and Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres resumed talks Thursday on ending violence and restarting the stalled peace negotiations between the two sides.
Both Palestinians and Israelis have confirmed that the two men started their meeting in Tel Aviv after they last suspended the talks amid an escalation of violence.
Erekat told reporters before the meeting that the two sides would deal with a number of political, economic and security issues of common interests.
A key issue is the transfer of tax revenues Israeli authorities collected from Palestinians to the Palestinian National Authority (PNA).
Israel froze payments of tax revenues to the PNA since the outbreak of the intifada in late September 2000.
Erekat said he would also urge an immediate pullout of the Israeli army from the occupied Palestinian territories.
Other Palestinian demands include a halt to Israeli assassination of Palestinian militants, demolition of houses and arrests in Palestinian towns and villages, according to Erekat.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry said Peres and Erekat would meet todiscuss the lifting of the tightened Israeli measures to ease suffering of the Palestinian people.