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Israeli-Palestinian Peace Talks to Resume on Sunday
Despite the failure of the Camp David talks in producing an Israeli-Palestinian agreement, the two sides could resume their peace talks as early as Sunday, an Israelinegotiator said Thursday morning.
Attorney Gilad Sher, one of Prime Minister Ehud Barak's confidants who had participated in the Camp David summit, told Israel Radio that, as he knew, it was already set that Israeli chief negotiator Oded Eran and his Palestinian counterpart Saeb Erekat will meet on Sunday to discuss various issues.
He did not elaborate on the exact place where the two negotiators will meet.
Sher was one of the major players in the so-called "back-channel talks" between Israeli Public Security Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami and Palestinian Legislative Council Speaker Ahmed Qurei (Abu Ala) in Stockholm in May, which laid a foundation of the Camp David talks.
He is optimistic about the talks' future, saying it is possible to finish the conflict and reach a reasonable agreement in "not too long a time" if the two sides continue their talks.
The Camp David summit, attended by Barak, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and Untied States President Bill Clinton, collapsed on Tuesday after the two sides failed to bridge their gaps on core final-status issues, especially the fate of Jerusalem and the Palestinian refugees.
Barak returned to Israel Wednesday afternoon. Speaking at a state ceremony at the airport, the prime minister said he believes the negotiation with the Palestinians could resume within the next few weeks.
Palestinian officials also said that despite the summit failure, it is possible for the three leaders to meet again at Camp David, probably in August, in order to reach a peace deal ahead of the September 13 deadline.
Arafat had repeatedly threatened to declare Palestinian independence in September, even unilaterally without a peace accord with Israel.
Such a scenario, analysts worry, could lead to a large-scale violence between the Palestinians and Israeli soldiers, which would cast clouds over the whole peace process.
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