Decision of the Palestinian central council meeting
Palestine, Politics, 4/30/1999

The central council of the Palestine Liberation Organization has concluded its session but without taking a decision pertaining the declaration of sovereign state. It considered itself to be in an "open session" and that it will convene a general session in June following the Israeli elections.

However, the council's final statement came in compliance with the demands set by the US mentioned in the message of "guarantees" sent by US President Bill Clinton to Palestinian President Yasser Arafat on the threshold of its five sessions in Gaza last Tuesday.

The statement of the central council gave no mentioning, according to well-informed sources, to the question of announcing of "the provisional period according to what has been stated in the Oslo agreement signed with Israel."

The statement also avoided references to "a certain date to announce spreading of sovereignty of the independent Palestinian state," due to the great pressure put by Washington on the Palestinian side on this respect.

Well-informed Palestinian sources expected that the central council will once again hold a meeting at the beginning of July following the summit meeting which US President Bill Clinton called for and in which he will participate together with Israel's prime minister and Yasser Arafat.

The final statement, which was read by the chairman of the Palestinian National Council Salim al-Zanoun (Abu al-Adib), included seven decisions.

Al-Zanoun asserted that the decision taken by the council to postpone the decision to declare a sovereign Palestinian state came on the grounds that the "Palestinians do not interfere in the Israeli elections" and that the Palestinians are "ready to deal with any elected Israeli government on the ground of adherence to what had been signed."

Palestinian sources stressed that the council's final statement, which was not voted upon by the participants in the session, was taken following serious debates and discussions carried out on Tuesday and Thursday.

However, while no copies of President Clinton's message were distributed among members of the Palestinian council, they were acquainted with the message's main lines.

The Israeli reaction to the Palestinian decision to postpone taking a decision, came in a statement made by the chairman of Netanyahu's office, David Bar Ilan, who repeated what had been said by his premier that the Palestinian decision is "an accomplishment of Netanyahu's policy and a response to the Israeli position in that Israel will take stern measures in case a Palestinian state is announced."

Previous Stories:
  Sheikh Yassin and the Palestinian state   (4/29/1999)
  Barak: Clinton's message a second Ballfour declaration to the Palestinians   (4/28/1999)
  Palestinian Legislative Council's political statement   (4/27/1999)

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