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Israel, Palestinians Agree to End Violence
The emergency Mideast summit appears to have reached a breakthrough Tuesday with Israel and Palestinians agreeing on a serial of measures to stop the violence that has been raging for 20 days in the territories.
Informed sources said the marathon summit at this Egyptian resort will produce a statement on ceasefire between Israeli troops and protesting Palestinians, under the brokerage of U.S. President Bill Clinton.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat agreed to condemn violence and will take immediate and concrete measures to stop clashes and restore calm on the ground.
The sources said Barak has agreed to redeploy Israeli troops and lift the siege slapped on Palestinian self-rule areas, which were the Palestinian demands, whereas Arafat accepted Israeli demands to "restore law and order" on the Palestinian side and re-arrest members of the militant anti-Israeli group Hamas.
The two sides agreed to a U.S.-led, fact-finding international inquiry into the cause of this wave of violence, whose results will be shared with the United Nations.
The two sides also agreed that peace negotiations will be resumed in two-three weeks in the United States, the sources added.
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