Prospects that US Vice President Dick Cheney will announce a trilateral meeting ushering in a cease-fire during his visit in Israel Monday appear slim, as US envoy Anthony Zinni left Ramallah last night without securing Palestinian Authority approval for such a meeting.
Zinni met PA Chairman Yasser Arafat in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
It was reportd that Arafat asked Zinni to push for diplomatic as well as security talks between the sides. The Palestinians presented their time frame and ideas for the implementation of the Tenet plan to Zinni, but insisted it is impossible for them to stop attacks on Israeli targets while Israeli troops are inside PA areas.
Arafat wants Zinni to guarantee him that Israel will stop all assassinations, and will never again invade Palestinian population centers, a PA source said.
Meanwhile, Israeli and Palestinian security commanders were meeting in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip late Sunday, senior Palestinian official Ahmed Qurei said. Qurei and Israel’s defense minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer strongly suggested the meeting meant the sides have agreed to coordinate an Israeli pullout from the Palestinian areas in the near future.
A three-way security meeting headed by Zinni could take place as early as Monday if the Israeli troops withdraw first, Qurei stated.
Palestinian sources said Monday that the joint Israeli-Palestinian Supreme Security Committee would meet later in Monday, with an American representative attending, after Israel agreed to a partial withdrawal from Area A, territory formally under full Palestinian Authority control, Israel Radio reported.
The Palestinians have demanded that Israel withdraw from Palestinian areas before substantive negotiations on a cease-fire begin. "Why should we give anything in return for an invasion?" said Palestinian Information Minister Yasser Abed Rabbo. "Israel should withdraw from the areas under Palestinian Authority control before starting any talks and negotiations."
For his part, Ben-Eliezer said he was optimistic a cease-fire could be reached soon.
"The declaration of a cease-fire can be achieved within 48 hours," Ben-Eliezer told Channel Two TV Sunday evening. "The problem is what will happen after a declaration of a cease-fire." As a condition for the Israeli military pullout, Israel is demanding that the PA security apparatus take responsibility for all areas the Israeli army leaves and commit itself to preventing attacks from there.
Meanwhile, U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney is expected to arrive in Israel Monday to hold talks with the Israeli leadership.
Cheney said in Bahrain Sunday he hopes Zinni "will have something positive to report by the time I arrive." He acknowledged his talks with Arab leaders, aimed to drum up support for the next stage of the US war on terror - widely believed to be action against Iraq - was dominated by events in Israel and the territories.
Cheney has not scheduled any meetings with PA officials, although one US official said this could be arranged at the last minute if needed. (Albawaba.com)
