PNA ready for final status talks but wants Israel to pull out first
Palestine, Politics, 9/11/1997

The Palestinian National Authority is ready to start the final status talks with Israel and have them finished over a period of six months provided Israel honours the remaining clauses of the interim agreement, foremost of which are the further redeployment of Israeli troops in the West Bank, the opening of the free safe passage between the West Bank and Gaza Strip and the release of all Palestinian prisoners. This Palestinian stand was clearly presented to US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright during her meeting Thursday in Ramallah with Palestinian President Yasser Arafat.

But the differences between the two sides remained as they were before the meeting. Dr. Saeb Erekat, chief Palestinian negotiator who also participated in the meeting with Albright said the meeting could not bridge the gap in positions of both the Palestinian National Authority and the US and said that more work needs to be done. Also Madeliene Albright voiced a similar assessment when she said in her joint press conference with Arafat after the meeting that a lot of work is still ahead of her.

The meeting between Albright and Arafat started in a warm but tense atmosphere, Palestinian sources said. It was scheduled to last no more than 90 minutes but it went on for some three hours, an indication of how tough the talks between them were. Palestinian sources blamed the tense encounter on a flow of statements which Albright made a day earlier in which she mostly spoke of measures she wanted the PNA to take and avoided any explicit demands from Israel.

At first it was a tete-a-tete meeting that was followed by a broader one joined by aides and experts from both sides. The Palestinian side presented the list of demands they want of Israel and detailed how Israel's measures against the PNA damage not only the credibility of the PNA but also are very likely to blow up all chances of peace in the region.

Security was on top of the issues discussed but Arafat presented a list of demands on Israeli settlement construction, land confiscation and house demolition. He also presented Albright with details of measures taken by Palestinian security forces against people suspected of subversive activities. But Arafat, sources close to him said, insisted that his troops were not ready to carry out arbitrary arrests among whoever is politically identified with Hamas, the Islaimc Jihad or any other opposition group. He demanded that precise information be gathered or, alternatively be supplied by Israel, in order for his troops to conduct further arrests.

"The president said he is doing all what he can and told Secretary Albright that 100 percent effort cannot guarantee 100 percent results," an Arafat aide said after the meeting. He added that Arafat presented Albright with evidence gathered by the Palestinian security confirming that the perpetrators of the last two suicide bomb attacks in West Jerusalem have come from abroad and not from within the PNA areas.

Diplomatic sources said after the meeting that Secretary Albright will try during her present round of talks with Palestinian and Israeli officials to set up some kind of a linkage between what the PNA does against terror and steps taken by Israel in the direction of not only easing the lastest measures it took against the PNA but with regard to further steps Israel should take to implement the remaining clauses of the interim agreement.

In the press conference, Albright urged the Palestinians not to give up hope or the process of the Oslo Agreements and reiterated the US support for the "land for peace" formula. She even admitted that their frustrations are understandable and said it was beyond her understanding the Israeli decision to hold back tax revenues which Israel froze after the July 30 bomb blast in Mahaneh Yehuda market in West Jerusalem.

In her meeting with Netanyahu on Friday, to be followed by another one with Arafat, Albright is expected to embark on the mechanism that would push forward her new approach of reciprocity. Her shuttle diplomacy will also try to bridge the differences between the two sides in order to move things out of their present deadlock.

A second visit to the region by Albright is not ruled out and in fact is being highly anticipated by Palestinian observers who believe Albright might like to return to the region soon to follow up the implementation of the preliminary steps that she had agreed upon with both President Arafat and Israeli Premier Netanyahu.

Upon returning to Jerusalem after her talks with President Arafat, Secretary Albright and Prime Minister Netanyahu made a joint statement.

Albright said that although Israel has concerns about security, "I do not think that holding back of revenues " is related to security concerns. The PNA's economy has been hurt by Israeli sanctions, including the witholding of revenue, enacted in the aftermath of late-July suicide bombings in West Jerusalem.

Netanyahu showed little movement, focusing on his concerns over security. "We are still in a state of danger" and Israel "expect[s] more terrorist attacks," said Netanyahu. The Israeli prime minister said it is still "too early to judge" whether significant progress will be made.

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