Palestinian government, Vatican agree on Jerusalem guarantees

The Palestinian government and the Vatican on Tuesday in Vatican City signed a basic agreement on their relations and that any unilateral decisions affecting Jerusalem were "morally and legally unaccepted."

The wide-ranging agreement was signed by the delegations as Pope John Paul II, who visits Holy Land sites controlled by Israel and the Palestinians next month, discussed the conditions in the Middle East with Palestinian President Yasser Arafat at a private meeting.

Arafat told reporters following his meeting with the pope that the pope has included Areiha (Jericho) in his tour of the area next month, and the spokesman for the Vatican confirmed this news.

The pope will also visit Bethlehem and will visit Israel and Jordan.