US pressures to delay Palestinian Central Council meeting

The Palestinian Central Council will confer in the middle of the coming month according to the resolution taken by the council in its last meeting during April to discuss the declaration of the independent Palestinian state.

Palestinian sources told ArabicNews.com that the United States is placing intensive pressures on Palestinian President Yasser Arafat to delay convening the meeting and that the US suggested convening the meeting in May, 2000.

They added that as it has also called on the Palstinians not to declare the end of the transitional period of the Oslo agreement, not to declare the Palestinian state, not to urge the Palestine Liberation Organization to convene and to limit the resolutions of President Arafat and of the PLO's executive committee.

The sources said, "There is a Palestinian refusal for delaying the meeting that will discuss continuing the settlement policy and the continuation of the Israeli new prime minister in implementing policies whether regarding the settlement or Jerusalem."