A senior Palestinian official on Wednesday said Palestinian President Yasser Arafat ordered a halt to shootings in areas under Palestinian control.
"The high Palestinian security council, headed by Arafat, which is responsible for all of the security forces, late yesterday issued an order for unknown gunmen not to shoot from areas A (under full Palestinian control) and from among civilians and civilian buildings throughout the Palestinian territories" said the official in Gaza.
Meanwhile, the United States welcomed Arafat's ban on shootings in areas under his control, issued after a telephone conversation with President Bill Clinton.
"We obviously welcome any public assertion, public declaration aimed at ending the violence in the area" between Israelis and Palestinians, said White House spokesman Jake Siewert.
Clinton spoke to Arafat by telephone late Tuesday evening soon after arriving in Brunei for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, Siewert said.
"That conversation was focused on ways to end the violence, we believe it's very important that both parties take immediate steps to reduce tension and lower the level of violence in the area," he added.
Before leaving Monday on the 22-hour flight to Brunei from Washington, Clinton on Sunday held talks with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak aimed at finding a way to stop the bloodletting in the region – (AFP)
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