Counting of "Complete Quiet" Period Has Not Started: IsraelIsrael said on Sunday that the seven-day period of "complete quiet" has not yet started, insisting that there will be no starting of this period unless the Palestinians cease fire completely.Reports about the start of the period were not true and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has never agreed to the counting of the seven-day ceasefire period, Sharon's office said in a statement. Israeli Army Radio reported earlier on Sunday that U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell told Sharon in a telephone conversation Friday night that the United States began counting the seven-day period on Tuesday. Sharon replied that it would be impossible to carry out the recommendations of the Mitchell report until the Palestinians totally end violence, his office said. During his regional tour at the end of June, Powell announced that both Israel and the Palestinians have agreed to the timetable for the implementation of the Mitchell report, with both sides agreeing to implement a seven-day "complete quiet" period. The seven-day period is to precede a six-week cooling-off period leading to the implementation of confidence-building measures, listed in the Mitchell report. The Palestinians insisted that the seven-day period must be started since the timetable agreement was reached, but Sharon said that Israel has to decide when to begin counting the period. Israeli and Palestinian security officials met again Friday night to assess the ceasefire that took effect on June 13, but each side blamed the other for violations of the ceasefire. |
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