VARIOUS: PALESTIAN PRESIDENT ARAFAT MEETS WITH ISRAELI FOREIGN MINISTER LEVY/ SECURITY ALERT ON WEST BANK/ U.S. SPECIAL ENVOY ROSS HOLDS TALKS WITH ISRAELI PM NETANYAHU.

Record ID: 399842

  • Title: VARIOUS: PALESTIAN PRESIDENT ARAFAT MEETS WITH ISRAELI FOREIGN MINISTER LEVY/ SECURITY ALERT ON WEST BANK/ U.S. SPECIAL ENVOY ROSS HOLDS TALKS WITH ISRAELI PM NETANYAHU.
  • Date: 16th April 1997
  • Summary: VALETTA, MALTA (APRIL 16, 1997) (RTV - ACCESS ALL) 1. LV/GV: EXTERIOR OF BUILDING, SECURITY (2 SHOTS) 0.08 2. GV/PAN/MV: ISRAELI FOREIGN MINISTER DAVID LEVY SEATED WITH PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT YASSER ARAFAT AND PLANNING MINISTER NABIL SHAATH (BALDING WITH GLASSES), PLUS EGYPTIAN FOREIGN MINISTER AMR MOUSSA (LAUGHING) AND OTHER
  • Embargoed: 1st May 1997 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: VALETTA, MALTA, JERUSALEM, ISRAEL, AND WEST BANK
  • City:
  • Country: EUROPE West Bank West Bank ASIA Jerusalem Jerusalem Israel MIDDLE EAST Malta
  • Reuters ID: LVAEOYA6R53GDTS46ZH91SJNVZQ1
  • Story Text: INTRO: Palestinian President Yasser Arafat has met with Israeli Foreign Minister David Levy on a day that saw Israel close off the West Bank amid fears of a guerrilla attack.

    And the United States (U.S.) special envoy to the Middle East, Dennis Ross, launched a fresh bid to rescue the region's peace process as he arrived in Jerusalem.

    -------------------------------------------------------------------- Arafat's talks with Levy at a conference of foreign ministers in Malta on Wednesday (April 16) were the most important since Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided last month to go ahead with a Jewish settlement in disputed Arab East Jerusalem.

    After the meeting Levy said he had secured a promise from Arafat to renew security cooperation with the Jewish state.

    As Levy met with Arafat, U.S. envoy Dennis Ross jetted in to Jerusalem talks with Netanyahu. The two men discussed U.S. "ideas" before President Bill Clinton's administration formulates an initiative to break the peace deadlock.

    The West Bank was sealed off following warnings of an intention by terrorist groups to carry out attacks from the West Bank against residents of Israel and Israeli settlers. Israelis were barred from entering Palestinian controlled areas in the West Bank.

    At the Gilo checkpoint, connecting south of Jerusalem to the West Bank, Israeli soldiers prevented Palestinian workers from entering Jerusalem. The soldiers checked cars at a roadblock.

    Palestinian workers who arrived at the roadblock complained that the closure was bad both for Palestinians and Israelis.

    Hours before Ross's arrival in Israel, Palestinian peace process negotiator Saeb Erekat warned Ross against trying to take Netanyahu's side. He said: "I was not happy to hear the American administration said they tried to stop Netanyahu and failed.

    Netanyahu must be stopped", Erekat said.

    Tension soared in the West Bank last month when Israel launched construction of a Jewish settlement in Arab East Jerusalem which Palestinians view as the capital of their future state.

    Since then, stone-throwing youths have clashed with Israeli troops almost daily and on March 21 a Palestinian bomber killed three Israeli women at a Tel Aviv cafe.

    As Arafat returned from Malta before his meeting with the envoy he said he "appreciated" the meeting between Levy and his planning minister Nabil Shaath. He said they had all agreed to continue "in this attitude to save the peace process."
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