Only a comprehensive Palestinian - Israeli agreement will be accepted
Palestine, Politics, 10/21/1998

The contradicting reports from Washington speaking of a possible agreement and at the same time of a stalemate in the talks have left the Palestinian street with a state of indifference to the extent that people who usually stick their ears to radio news bulletins have dropped this habit, at least for the time being.

According to Palestinian officials, the points of difference still dominate the talks in Wye Plantation near Washington DC. President Yasser Arafat's media advisor on Israeli affairs confirmed earlier reports that President Arafat had rejected an Israeli proposal for a partial agreement.

"We want a comprehensive agreement, which will guarantee our rights and President Clinton understands exactly what our position is," he said. Tibi added that the points of disagreement pertain to the 3rd phase redeployment, the maps of redeployment and the Palestinian prisoners currently held in Israeli jails. Palestinian minister of information Yasser Abed Rabbo said the Palestinian government would under no circumstances agree to sign an agreement with Israel if it were not a comprehensive agreement. He blamed Israel for "maneuvering with the aim of reaching either a partial agreement or a no- agreement."

One of the stumbling issues that has delayed the agreement, Palestinian sources said, is the Israeli demand to have the full right to arrest wanted Palestinians once they travel through the safe passages between the West Bank and Gaza Strip. President Arafat and his team have strongly rejected the Israeli demand and insisted the safe passage, as it is named, should be safe enough for all Palestinians to use without the threat of detention or harassment by Israel.

Israel's leading daily, YEDIOT AHRONOT, meanwhile, published Wednesday a list of items it claimed were agreed upon between the Palestinians and Israel. Those included: Covenant Annulment: In tandem with the last stage of the second phase of further redeployment, in another three months, President Arafat is to convene the Palestinian National Council in order to annul the clauses in the Palestinian Covenant which call for the destruction of Israel. Declaration of Independence: Arafat will pledge indirectly to refrain from unilaterally declaring the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. Extradition of Palestinians: Israel will probably forego its demand that the Palestinian Authority extradite Palestinians wanted by Israel. The Palestinians will make arrests in accordance with a list of 30 wanted persons submitted by Israel. Prisoner Release: Israel is likely to show greater flexibility regarding the release of Palestinian prisoners that the Palestinian government is demanding be released. Third Phase: Along side of the accord, President Clinton will present both sides with a letter of guarantees to ease their skepticism on this issue.

The points of difference between the two sides, according to the paper, include: Weapons Confiscation: Israel demands that all illegal weapons in the territories be confiscated. President Arafat insisted that to carry out such a demand would lead to a civil war. Decrease in the Number of Palestinian Policemen: Israel claims that the number of Palestinian policemen deviate from the agreed upon number. Palestinian officials have not exhibited any willingness to compromise on this issue.

US State Department spokesman James Rubin described today the negotiations saying, "We are at a critical moment," and what the results will be is up to the two leaders, adding, "This is a roller-coaster."

Rubin said that despite the intensity of yesterday's and today's meetings, "there are significant, significant gaps remaining," and it is not clear that both sides are willing to take the tough decisions.

Rubin spoke of a "text" that will be presented today to both sides for the two sides to look at. The text will "codify agreements" that have been finalized so far so that focus of discussions will shift from the old and current business to the final status negotiations.

Rubin describe the text that will be presented as "procedural" and not an indication that an agreement between the Israelis and Palestinians has been reached.

White House spokesman Joe Lockhart denied knowledge of Israeli threats to walk away from the talks saying that no one is being held there against there will. He added that President Clinton will make a decision on whether to join the talks today or not based on whether "it is productive for him to travel." He cautioning not to read too much into this statement. Lockhart said the US President is determined in his efforts to put the peace process back on track.

Previous Stories:
  Pessimist Palestinians expect no breakthrough in talks with Israel   (10/20/1998)
  Clinton to pull a rabbit out of Palestinian-Israeli talks   (10/20/1998)
  Hawatemah warns of a Palestinian civil war   (10/20/1998)

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