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By Rabi Shaheen CAIRO (IslamOnline) - Egypt said Monday that intensive negotiations are underway to hold an emergency four-way summit in the Red Sea resort of Sharm al-Sheikh in order to bring an end to 12 days of violence in the Occupied Territories in which 85 have died.
An Egyptian diplomatic source in Cairo said, if held, U.S. President Bill Clinton, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian leader Yassir Arafat would attend the summit to slavage the deadlocked Middle East peace process. The high-level meeting would also attempt to find an end to the violence, which has plagued the Occupied Territories well into its second week. Clinton spokeswoman Nanda Chitre was quoted by news services as saying that a summit with the leaders of the region was "one of the possibilities" for reducing conflict. "There are a lot of good ideas on the table now," she said. The same Cairo diplomatic source, speaking on customary condition of anonymity, said that Cairo was working with Washington on the details of an agenda acceptable for both the Israelis and the Palestinians, but said the summit would be held with no pre-conditions attached. The sources said a "declaration of intentions" is being discussed. The declaration would require all clashes to immediately cease and for the Israelis to pull back their troops from the occupied areas. The declaration would also call on Israel to end provocations aimed at Palestinian national or religious sentiments. The diplomat said the summit is already facing some hurdles. For one, Arafat has already refused an Israeli demand to end street demonstrations even before Barak could attend the scheduled meeting. In return, the Palestinians have demanded the Israelis pledge not resort to excessive force, and to also lift a curfew imposed on Palestinian territories. They also said they wanted Gaza airport, which Barak ordered closed, reopened. The same sources denied the four-way summit was linked to another summit that would be held in Cairo October 21-22 for 22 Arab states to discuss the deteriorating situation in the Occupied Territories. Some 85 people have died in clashes between fully armed Israeli troops and Palestinian protesters, mostly armed with only stones. Hundreds of others have been injured. Israel has used helicopters, tanks and rockets to quell what is now known as the "second uprising", initiated by mounting anger after hard-line Israeli Likud Party leader Ariel Sharon visited al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, Islam's third holiest site. Barak had issued a 48-hour deadline, which would have come Monday night, for Palestinians to cease demonstrations. Latest reports indicate that the deadline has been extended to accommodate the Cairo summit. There were no reports of deaths from renewed violence Monday, though two Palestinians and an Israeli settler were killed overnight. Clashes were also reported on Monday in the West Bank town of Ramallah, where Palestinian youth threw stones at Israeli soldiers, who fired on the protesters with rubber-coated bullets, tear gas and concussion grenades. |
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