Differences between Wye and Sharm el-Sheikh agreements
Palestine-Israel, Politics, 9/6/1999

Wherewith is a comparison between what has been stated in the Wye River agreement and the new revised agreement signed on Saturday in Sharm el-Sheikh."

Withdrawal of soldiers:

According to Wye agreement Israel was obliged to withdraw from 13% of the West Bank in three phases extended for three months. Former Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu withdrew only from 2% and left for his successor, Ehud Barak, to withdraw from 11%. According to the new agreement Israel will withdraw from the 11% in three phases instead of two, and the withdrawal period extends to more than five months. Next week Israel will withdraw from 7% of the West Bank, and the other two withdrawals will be on October 15 and January 20, 2000.

Prisoners:

According to the Wye River agreement, Israel was to release 750 prisoners. It released 250 prisoners, and another 500 were left in prison, of which the Barak government said it will release some 102 security prisoners while the others will stay in prison as criminal prisoners.

According to the Sharm el-Sheikh agreement Israel will release some 350 security prisoners, in two phases, including 200 to be released within days and the others will be released on October 8. The two sides agreed to release others in January, but no date was fixed for that.

The port of Gaza:

According to Wye, a committee will be formed to discuss opening the port, and according to Sharm el-Sheikh, planning for the port will start soon, while construction with limited security measures will start in October.

The secure passage:

According to Wye, the committees in this respect would continue their work, and according to the Sharm el-Sheikh agreement the southern road of the secure passage (Gaza- Tarqoumia) will be open in October, while negotiations will continue concerning the northern road (Gaza- Ramallah).

Al-Khalil (Hebron):

Wye river made no mention of Hebron.

According to Sharm el-Sheikh, the al-Shuhadaa road is to be opened in two phases not to exceed October 30, while the market (al-Hisbah) will be opened in a time not to exceed November 1.

The final peace agreement:

Wye did not include a set date to end the negotiations concerning the final status negotiations, while the Sharm el-Sheikh agreement called for drawing up a framework for the agreement within five or six months and for ending the agreement on September 10, 2000.

Previous Stories:
  Jordanian premier confers with German minister   (9/4/1999)
  Italian president confers with Arafat   (9/4/1999)
  Palestinian - Israeli agreement to be endorsed today in Sharm   (9/4/1999)

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