Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat met in Paris Wednesday in a bid to end bloodshed, which threatened to overwhelm Middle East peace efforts, US officials said.
US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright brought the Israeli and Palestinian leaders together after several hours of wrangling that apparently focused on Palestinian demands for an international inquiry into the violence which last left 68 dead in six days.
Albright met twice separately with both Arafat and Barak in the US ambassador's residence here before the three-way talks were arranged, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said.
As the diplomatic efforts got underway, four more Palestinians were shot dead and more than 30 were wounded by Israeli troops in the West Bank and Gaza Strip – PARIS (AFP)
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