Israel announced the revival of peace talks with the Palestinians on Wednesday as Palestinian President Yasser Arafat said the PLO was reviewing its plan to declare an independent state next month.
"We have decided the course, but we have to reassess this," Arafat told journalists during a visit to Jakarta, referring to plans to proclaim the state on September 13th, the deadline for a final accord.
US Middle East troubleshooter Dennis Ross is due in the region Thursday to assess the prospects for another summit to clinch a deal that would bring an end to decades of bitter conflict.
"He will be reviewing the situation in the region and meeting with the two parties to assess progress and developments since the Camp David summit," a US embassy spokesman told AFP.
The United States has warned that it would review its relations and cut aid to the Palestinians if Arafat went ahead with a proclamation of statehood without a peace deal.
With September 13th less than a month away, Israel's acting foreign minister Shlomo Ben Ami announced the revival of the negotiations Wednesday, which were confirmed by a Palestinian official.
But Ben Ami said "expectations should not be raised too high" because of the difficult issues involved.
Neither side would disclose the venue for the talks or the negotiators involved, although Israeli radio said Ben Ami would be joined by lawyer Gilad Sher while the Palestinian team would include negotiators Saeb Erekat and Mohammed Dahlan, who is also chief of preventative security in the Gaza Strip.
Ben Ami, who has been travelling through Europe to sell Israel's position on the peace talks, said Tuesday that he hoped to reach a preliminary accord by early September to pave the way for a new summit.
Camp David broke down on July 25th after two weeks of intensive negotiations because of deep discord over control of Jerusalem, the city coveted by both Israel and the Palestinians as their capital.
The two sides must also reach agreement on the fate of 3.7 million Palestinian refugees, Jewish settlers, final borders and water and security issues.
Egyptian Ambassador to Israel Mohammed Bassiouni said contacts were underway to try to bridge the gaps and to prepare for a "blueprint framework accord" which could help toward the success of any summit."
Ross, who is expected to hold four days of talks, said Tuesday the United States was willing to call a new summit only if Israeli and Palestinian leaders were ready to make historic concessions.
"President Clinton made it clear that he is prepared to get them together again if he is satisfied that there is a readiness to make decisions," said Ross.
Hassan Abdel Rahman, the Palestine Liberation Organization's representative in Washington, said that any future summit should be convened only to sign a peace agreement.
He told Voice of Palestine radio, however, that he did not rule out US-Palestinian talks when leaders are in New York for the UN General Assembly meeting September 6.
However, news of the latest peace push was marred by the killing of a 73-year-old Palestinian man by Israeli soldiers in the West Bank.
Mahmud Assad Abdallah, the traditional chief of the village of Surda, was killed after he fired at the Israeli patrol from the roof of his home, the Israeli army said.
"This criminal act is a dangerous escalation by the occupation authority, especially at a time when there are serious efforts to resume the negotiations between the two sides," the Palestinian legislative council said.
The victim's son, AFP journalist Hisham Abdallah, said his father would regularly sleep at night on the roof "to keep an eye on the neighborhood."
"He had an unlicensed gun, and no doubt thought he had spotted some thieves," he said.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak is due visit Amman later Wednesday for talks with Jordan's King Abdullah II.
"Time is short and we are in a very delicate period. I hope there will be a sense of vision, and the Palestinians will demonstrate flexibility," Barak said Tuesday – OCCUPIED JERUSALEM (AFP)
© 2000 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
