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Israel, Palestinians Discuss "Best Steps" to Ease Tensions: Peres
Israel and the Palestinians have discussed "best steps" in the near future to ease tensions, visiting Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres said Sunday.
Peres said this after his talks with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat on ways of resolving the Mideast crisis, but he did not elaborate the possible measures.
"During the talks, I have felt the sincerity of the Palestinian wish to end the violence," Peres told reporters in a separate news conference, adding that he had explained to Arafat the Israeli demand that the Palestinians take further efforts to apply the U.S. -brokered truce.
Peres called on Arafat to abide by the "seven days of zero violence" reached between the Palestinian leader and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon during U.S. Secretary of State Colin's visit to the Middle East last month.
"You have accepted it" along with Sharon, Peres said, adding that "now we have to keep the credibility. We cannot agree to something and say the next day it is impossible."
During his last month's Mideast tour, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell announced that the Palestinians and Israelis agreed to a seven-day "completely quiet period" before a six-week "cooling- off" period as stipulated by the Mitchell report.
"I am leaving Cairo with a sense that there is a hope to continue the Mitchell report fully by the two sides," Peres said.
The Mitchell report, released by an international panel led by former U.S. senator George Mitchell in May, urges both sides to break the cycle of violence, carry out confidence-building measures, and finally resume peace talks.
Peres also lauded Egypt for its role in resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. "I found that the Egyptian side is really wanting to help make both sides return to the negotiating table," he said.
He rejected reports that Israel is mulling an invasion of the Palestinian territories which would damage Arafat's leadership, adding that "no one wants to bring about more bloodshed and violence."
Sunday's meetings between Peres and Arafat were held in the presence of Osama al-Baz, political advisor to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
The high-level three-way talks were the first since the U.S.-brokered ceasefire plan between the two sides went into effect on June 13.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher told reporters that the talks were arranged because Peres brought some "new ideas", adding that he is "optimistic" about the outcome of the three-way talks.
Peres and Arafat arrived in Cairo earlier on Sunday for separate talks with Mubarak on ways of ending the nearly 10 months of Israeli-Palestinian violence and restarting peace negotiations.
Egypt, the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israel in 1979, has been playing a key mediating role in the Palestinian- Israeli peace talks.
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