Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak said Sunday, the day after his dramatic decision to resign, that the door was still open for a revival of negotiations with the Palestinians and that he would work to end the tide of deadly violence.
"The prime minister stressed that it is too early to gauge the effects of the election decision on peace efforts with the Palestinians," Barak's office said in a statement after a cabinet meeting.
"But Israel will continue to act to reduce the violence, to implement the resolutions of the Sharm el-Sheikh accord and at the same time to leave the door open to the possibility of a resumption of negotiations," it said.
Israel and the Palestinians agreed at a summit at the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheik in mid-October to take steps to reduce the violence but it never took effect on the ground.
Almost 320 people, most of them Palestinians, have been killed since the eruption of the fighting in late September.
Barak, who suspended the seven-year-old Oslo peace process in October because of the violence, is due later Sunday to formally present his resignation to Israeli President Moshe Katsav and seek a new mandate for peace.
He has been without a majority in parliament since the eve of the failed Camp David peace summit with the Palestinians, but his political woes have mounted with deep criticism of his handling of the unrest.
His resignation will pave the way for new elections for prime minister within 60 days – JERUSALEM (AFP)
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