Israeli and US sources denied Palestinian reports that Palestinian and Israeli high security officers will meet Tuesday.
According to the Palestinian sources, the meeting was made possible by the successful efforts of US Mideast envoy Anthony Zinni to bridge some of the gaps between the sides following his meeting with Palestinian President Yasser Arafat on Monday, according to Haaretz.
The reports came as EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana met with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon Tuesday morning to update him on the call by EU foreign ministers on Monday to the Palestinian Authority to dismantle Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
He is due meet with Arafat and US envoy to the Middle East Anthony Zinni.
Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres told Israel Radio from Rome Tuesday, "The onus is on the Palestinians. The Palestinians I speak with say they are prepared to repeat the actions taken in 1996. They are beginning to understand that Hamas is harming them no less than Israel."
In 1996, the Palestinian Authority took serious steps against resistance groups following a series of deadly suicide bomb attacks.
The four major international mediators - Zinni, Solana, UN envoy Terje Larsen and Russian envoy Andrei Vdovin - were also to consult Tuesday, Palestinian officials said, said the Tel Aviv-based daily.
At a speech read on behalf of Arafat at the OIC conference in Doha Monday, he said that resistance against occupation is a legitimate right for Palestinians – Albawaba.com
