Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak decided to continue with peace negotiations in Taba last night, after a sudden break over differences and the killing of an Israeli in a Jerusalem industrial area, according to reports.
The killing took place on the day both sides buried their dead who lost lives in the continuing violence. The killing of two Israelis in Tulkarem caused the talks to break off for two days.
The responsibility for the killing of the Israeli driver in Jerusalem Thursday was claimed by the same group which reportedly carried out the Tulkarem killing, namely, Thabet Thabet Group, named after the Fateh leader assassinated by the Israeli forces.
The BBC radio cited Barak as voicing his pessimism over the success of the talks and reaching an agreement before the February 26 Israeli premiership elections. He condemned the killing and vowed to arrest and punish the assailants.
Barak told a Federation of Chambers of Commerce forum in Tel Aviv that "I don't think there will be an agreement before the election.”
Meanwhile, the BBC said that Barak is mulling over a meeting with Palestinian President Yasser Arafat on the sidelines of the Davos economic meeting in Switzerland where political and business leaders began Friday a second day of the annual global summit.
The talks broke off for an hour after news of the attack, and no official reasons were given for the resumptions, said The Jerusalem Post.
But the AFP and other reports said the “unexpected break” took place amid differences on the security question.
The agency said Palestinian chief negotiator Ahmad Qorei and Israeli Justice Minister had a one-on-one meeting, which were to be expanded later to other members of the delegations.
Qorei and Beilin refused to comment to reporters before going into their talks.
The Israeli negotiators broke off the talks abruptly late Thursday and headed home for consultations over apparent "major differences" with the Palestinians.
A Palestinian delegate was quoted by AFP as saying the Israelis had gone back on proposals they had made earlier and then decided to withdraw from the talks early after the Palestinians rejected their new stance.
"There were major differences in the committee on security," said the negotiator, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The differences focused on Israeli demands to install three early warning stations in the Jordan Valley, as well as arms dumps and bases for a rapid reaction force in case of an attack from the east.
The negotiator said the demands were rejected by the Palestinians, prompting the Israelis to leave.
Nevertheless, said the Post, officials close to the negotiations continued to sound upbeat, saying that the Palestinians are displaying a seriousness that has been absent in previous talks. However, they said, it will be impossible to achieve anything more than an outline of an agreement in the few days remaining. But Qurei told reporters that the Palestinians are not interested in reaching another interim or partial agreement, only a comprehensive accord that deals with all the issues
According to a poll published by The Jerusalem Post on Friday, respondents said the negotiating efforts in Taba have not changed Barak's slim chances after Sharon boasted a 16-percentage point lead over Barak, the caretaker prime minister, with less than two weeks to go before the election.
Sharon counts 44 percent against Barak's 28 percent, but 28 percent of voters were undecided, the poll showed – Albawaba.com
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
