Israeli Minister Contacts with Palestinian Official: RadioIsraeli Justice Minister Yossi Beilin had phone contacts with Mahmoud Abbas, secretary general of the Palestine Liberation Organization's Executive Committee, late Monday night, Israel Radio reported Tuesday.The two discussed the resumption of peace process between Israel and the Palestinians following the recent bloody violence, according to the report. The contact came at a time when Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak declared a "time-out" in the peace talks in the face of nearly four weeks of bloody clashes between the two sides, which have killed over 120 Palestinians and injured 4,000 more. Beilin, a leading dove in Barak's cabinet and one of the architects of the 1993 Oslo peace accords, was against Barak's "time-out" plan. Beilin and Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, mapped out a peace master plan, called "Beilin-Mazen" plan, in 1995, and many ideas in the document reportedly became the basis for peace talks between them since then. Beilin later notified Barak about major points in Monday contacts with Abbas, the Radio reported. Beilin is mustering support of the left-wing Knesset (parliament) members to share his stance against the time-out decision. |
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