Palestinian Minister of International Cooperation Nabil Shaath has confirmed that Israeli and Palestinian representatives have recently held contacts aimed at calming the security situation and examining possibilities of renewing the peace talks, reported The Jerusalem Post newspaper on its internet edition.
The paper said that this was the first time that a Palestinian representative has admitted to such contacts.
But, Shaath said, there were no results because Israel has changed its positions and is in no way ready to carry out any of the clauses of the agreements.
He added that the reality that Israel has created in the field does not make it possible for the Palestinians to cooperate with any initiatives, according to the paper.
Shaath’s remarks contradicted Palestinian President Yasser Arafat’s statement in which he denied on Sunday holding secret talks with Israel.
"There are no secret talks between the Palestinian Authority and Israel," Arafat said at the end of a one-day visit to Abu Dhabi, according to AFP.
Arafat added that he had lost all confidence that Barak would sign any kind of peace deal.
"He has not applied the agreements signed with the Authority. How can he start respecting other agreements if negotiations resume?" he asked.
The Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) claimed last Thursday that the Israelis and Palestinians were holding secret peace talks and called on Arafat to break them off, the agency added – (Several Sources)
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