Italian Prime Minister Giuliano Amato on Thursday welcomed the announcement of a truce between the Palestinian Authority and Israel aimed at ending bloodshed that has killed more than 170 people, most of them Palestinians.
"This is a provisional agreement but it is very important," said Amato, referring to the agreement reached overnight between former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
The meeting in Gaza "apparently led to a halt in the use of arms and armored vehicles are apparently being withdrawn," he added. "This may open the path to dialogue."
Amato said that a ceasefire, the withdrawal of armored vehicles, the appeasement of the Palestinian side and the creation of conditions for a resumption of negotiations should have happened three weeks ago.
But he added: "Maybe this is it, and this is what is important" -- ROME (AFP)
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