Barak: No withdrawal of any Israeli troops from Jerusalem

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak informed Dennis Ross, the US peace process envoy, that Israel will not withdraw its troops from any lands near Jerusalem in the framework of the third partial withdrawal in the West Bank called for in the Sharm El-Sheikh accord.

Palestinian President Yasser Arafat said following his meeting with Ross today that, "Ross informed me of this stance" following his meeting with Barak yesterday in Jerusalem and that Barak asked Ross to convey this stance to Arafat.

Arafat accused Barak of trying to destroy the peace process deliberately or unintentionally and said that he provokes the Palestinian people and authority, and, "We are afraid to lose control of the enraged people due to these behaviors."