Arafat Peres, today the summit in the Territories is almost a truce

JERUSALEM – The summit between Shimon Peres and Yasser Arafat should take place tonight, unless new complications arise. The truce reaffirmed last Thursday by Israelis and Palestinians did not stop the violence, but reduced it nevertheless. And the West is increasing pressure for the summit to be held as soon as possible: US Secretary of State Powell telephoned Sharon and Arafat, French Foreign Minister Vedrine arrives in Jerusalem today, followed tomorrow by British colleague Straw and one ” troika “of the EU. Yesterday evening, the Israeli Foreign Minister received two senior representatives of the Palestinian Authority, head of negotiator Saeb Erekat and parliamentary president Ahmed Qorei, to prepare the summit between Peres and Arafat that could be held at Gaza airport. Another PLO negotiator, Information Minister Abed Rabbo, cites “4 conditions” for the success of the summit:

1) Israel must lift the siege to all places under Palestinian control;

2) a timetable must be agreed for the application of the “Mitchell plan”, the peace plan already accepted but not put into operation due to the continuation of the violence;

3) Israel must renounce the project of creating “closed military zones” along the borders with the Territories;

4) Israel must reopen the headquarters of the Authority closed after the attack that killed 15 people in Jerusalem in mid-August, including the “House of the East”, the headquarters of the PLO in the Holy City. Peres would in turn have set conditions, among which the arrest of a number of terrorists by Arafat.

September 23 2001