Barak puts off visit to Washington

Israel's prime minister Ehud Barak said that he decided to cancel his visit scheduled to Washington next week.

In statements he made on Friday on position of his forces intensively deployed in the West Bank and Gaza strip, he added that the developments of security conditions and the escalation of the uprising as well as threats made by rightist parties and blocs to withdraw from his ruling coalition, all force him to cancel this visit for the time being. The Israeli radio reported.

The radio added that Barak will contact the US President Bill Clinton to explain to him reasons behind abrogating the visit especially in regard to the governmental coalition and the development of security conditions.