Sharon holds telephone calls from Powell, Fischer

The Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon on Saturday evening received two telephone calls from the US secretary of state Colin Powell and the German foreign minister Yushka Fischer.

The Israeli radio said that discussions during the two telephone calls dealt with recent security conditions in the Palestinian territories and the need of halting the cycle of violence.

Fischer also telephoned the chairman of the Palestinian authority Yasser Arafat and discussed with him security conditions and the need to halt the cycle of violence.