Palestinian Culture and Information Minister Yasser Abed Rabbo denied Tuesday reports saying that Israelis and Palestinians reached a “secret” agreement on security issues at the Sharm el-Sheikh summit, reported Al-Jazira satellite channel.
Earlier, a senior Israeli official told AFP that both sides reached secret security deals at the summit.
"In addition to the written declaration read by President Clinton, the two sides reached a mutual understanding on security issues that will be kept secret," the official told the agency, speaking on Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak's plane on the way back from the Egyptian summit venue.
When secrecy had been applied to previous agreements, security had been maintained for longer, indicated the official, according to the agency.
"Barak met Clinton at night, the security group reached an agreement based on the secret security arrangements that were agreed on at Wye Plantation," a previous Israel-Palestinian summit hosted by the US in October 1998.
"Things were quiet for a year and a half (after that)," the official said.
"This time too they decided to keep the understanding secret. (Central Intelligence Agency chief) George Tenet and the CIA representative in Tel Aviv are going to be responsible for the implementation of the understanding."
Asked why there had been a presidential statement in Sharm el-Sheikh and not a signed agreement, the official said: "In a declaration, there is significant US involvement."
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat had received no guarantees from the United States, he believed.
"As far as we know, nothing was promised by the US to either side."
On why Sharm el-Sheikh succeeded where a previous Israeli-Palestinian summit in Paris last week failed, the official said he noted the "huge difference between the way Clinton and Albright negotiated".
Another difference was the hosts, Egypt.
"We were hosted by the Egyptians and not the French, and it was clear the Egyptians also had an interest in halting the violence that had escalated and also affected their area."
"Despite their humiliating attitude towards the Israelis, they (the Egyptians) were extremely material in persuading Arafat to reach an agreement," the official added.
According to AFP, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak had openly blamed the Israelis for the violence when the summit opened on Monday.
The Israeli official said another reason for the success of the summit was that the Clinton declaration was an improved formulation of the document which emerged from the failed Paris summit.
"It is improved because the fact finding commission is going to be appointed by the US," he said. "There is no internationalization."
"Things have also happened in the past two weeks, Arafat also saw that this (the violence) did not get him to the point to which he wanted to go. He arrived at the summit weaker than he realized." – (Several Sources)
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