Israeli Prime Minister-elect Ariel Sharon has said he intends to meet Palestinian President Yasser Arafat but there is unlikely to be much on the negotiating table as the levels of violence rise again, reported AFP.
Sharon said Friday that he planned to meet Arafat, but signaled he would take a tough-line in any peace talks.
He has said there will be no peace negotiations until the "violence on the streets ends."
On Friday, one Palestinian was killed and dozens were injured in fierce clashes with Israeli troops during clashes in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
The two leaders spoke by phone for the first time since the Likud leader's election victory over incumbent Prime Minister Ehud Barak Tuesday, reported Haaretz newspaper.
It said that Arafat telephoned Sharon and expressed the Palestinian people's desire for peace.
Arafat also said he was interested in renewing negotiations with Israel, the paper said.
Sharon, according to the paper, said that that the issue of peace is not an election gimmick, but needs to be achieved for future generations and to create complete security.
"Israel wants peace, but I understand the importance of peace more than any other politician who didn't see wars like me," he said.
In another development, Sharon met Ehud Barak and offered him a ministerial post in the coalition government which he is attempting to forge.
Barak made no public response but has already voiced his intention to quit politics following his 25-point election defeat to Sharon, said reports.
In an effort to counter his hawkish reputation, Sharon presented UN special coordinator for the Middle East Terje Roed-Larsen with a sketch of his plans for the peace process which brought a favorable response, AFP said.
"My firm impression is that Mr. Sharon's intention is to continue the peace dialogue with Mr. Arafat and the Palestinians," Roed-Larsen told reporters after meeting with Sharon in Jerusalem.
Sharon "also informed me of his intention to meet Mr. Arafat in order to discuss the agenda for the peace process," he said.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Colin Powell announced he would make a whirlwind tour of the Middle East and the Arabian Gulf at the end of the month, to explore options for an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal and promote continued containment of Iraq, said press reports.
Powell confirmed stops in Egypt, Israel and the Palestinian territories, Jordan, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia, but a senior State Department official said later that one or two additional destinations may be added, possibly Syria and Lebanon, according to AFP.
"The purpose of this trip will be to share views with friends in the region, especially in Israel and Gaza and the West Bank, to make an assessment of the situation," he told reporters in Washington -- Albawaba.com
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