Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat has pledged to resume security talks with Israel after a day of deadly violence in the West Bank.
"That was a request from our friend the European Union and our friend Javier Solana and I couldn't say no to that," Arafat said Monday after meeting the EU foreign policy chief in Ramallah.
The Palestinians suspended security talks with Israel on Sunday after the security cabinet of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon announced it would keep Arafat confined to Ramallah, where he has been under virtual house arrest since early December.
"We are committed to the peace of the brave," Arafat told reporters. "We are facing a very serious situation (of) military escalation against our people," Arafat said after asking the Europeans to send observers to the Palestinian territories.
Arafat's pledge came on a day that saw two Jewish settlers and three Palestinians killed in the West Bank, and six other Israelis seriously wounded.
An Israeli female member of the Border Police, who was injured in the shooting attack Monday in the north Jerusalem settlement of Neveh Ya'akov, died overnight of her wounds.
The West Bank shootings also injured two pregnant women -- one Israeli, one Palestinian -- although their babies were delivered safely.
Meanwhile, AP reported that the Palestinians have circulated a resolution dropping
the demand for sending international monitors to the Middle East in hopes of avoiding a U.S. veto, according to a Security Council diplomat. This move comes as the Security Council is to begin debating the situation in the Middle East on Tuesday.
In its key section, the Palestinian-proposed resolution demands an end to all acts of violence and the return to positions and arrangements before September 2000 - when the Israeli-Palestinian fighting erupted.
Since the intifada erupted 17 months ago, the United States has repeatedly vetoed Arab resolutions at the 15-member Security Council asking for international observers.
The Palestinian resolution also appears to echo diplomatic overtures by the Saudis by calling for "establishing normal relations among all states of the region based on mutual recognition and respect." (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
