Norway's FM confers with Arafat

Norwegian Foreign Minister Knut Vollebaek has called for proceeding forward with implementing the Palestinian-Israeli agreement as well as to keep continuing negotiations between the two sides.

In a joint press conference he held on Wednesday in Gaza in conclusion with his meeting with the chairman of the Palestinian Authority Yasser Arafat, Norway's FM said: " If the agreement is not implemented we will witness a retreat in peace negotiations."

He added he will convey to the Israeli Foreign Minister David Levy his views on the need to materialize the desire to implement agreements between the two sides.

Arafat, for his part, noted that there are still disputes obstructing the current Israeli-Palestinian negotiations on implementing the Wye river agreement.

The Palestinian- Israeli agreement states a new-re-deployment for the Israeli army in other areas of the West bank, releasing the Palestinian prisoners, opening a security passage between the Gaza strip and the West bank and starting to build a Palestinian port.