Talks between Israeli and Palestinian representatives to resolve the standoff at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem will possibly resume Sunday night after earlier negotiations ending without any progress.
The new round of talks will take place at the city's "Peace Center," opposite the church compound.
A Palestinian negotiator said there had been no breakthrough in talks with Israel Sunday. "So far, we have reached no solution," legislator Salah Taamari told reporters after the talks, the fifth round so far.
"The easy thing for us to do as negotiators is to withdraw but since there is a ray of hope we will persevere," he said, adding the Palestinians were disappointed the international community had not intervened to end the crisis. Taamari was speaking after more than four hours of talks.
According to a source close to the talks, Israel has agreed to reduce the number of wanted Palestinians inside the church that it has demanded be exiled abroad. The Palestinians, however, are persisting with their demand that the wanted men be sent to the Gaza Strip.
Taamari said earlier that he had asked the Israelis to resume the talks after receiving instructions from Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat on Saturday.
An Israeli army spokesman dismissed talk of a crisis. "Several new ideas have been raised in the course of today's negotiations. The two sides adjourned for consultations," he said.
The Palestinians demanded that food be taken into the church and Taamari said this must happen before negotiations resume. (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
