Helsinki, Sunday
PLO leader Yasser Arafat said today that he would give another chance
to negotiations with Israel on the planned withdrawal of its troops from
the Gaza Strip and West Bank town of Jericho.
Arafat told a news conference that a progress report he had received
from negotiator Nabil Shaath was ''completely negative''.
He also claimed the Israeli side was setting new conditions in the
talks.
Shaath made an unscheduled trip from Paris to Stockholm on Friday
night to brief Arafat.
Arafat said the PLO would hold ''an important meeting'' of its
leadership in Tunis shortly to discuss the state of negotiations.
''They are insisting not to withdraw, but redeployment,'' said a
visibly irritated Arafat at Helsinki airport before he left for Denmark,
the final stage of a four-nation tour of Nordic aid donors.
''In spite of that, I gave Shaath the instruction to return back to
continue the discussion . . . I give it another chance,'' said Arafat,
who yesterday had characterised the troop withdrawal talks as
deadlocked.
He said today: ''Patience has limits,'' and accused the Israeli side
of ''trying to make new manoeuvring to overjump what has been agreed
upon''.
The PLO leader noted that US Secretary of State Warren Christopher
would be in Europe this week.
Christopher plans at least two sessions with Arafat as part of a US
move to support the September 13 peace accords signed by Israel and the
PLO. These call for Israel to start moving its troops out of Gaza and
Jericho on December 13 in advance of limited self-rule.
Earlier today Israel shrugged off Arafat's warnings of a crisis in the
talks, saying the deadline was not carved in stone.
''I believe . . . that even if agreement is not reached by the target
date, it will be achieved in a week, two weeks or three weeks after
that. It will not be a tragedy,'' said Health Minister Haim Ramon.
Asked in Helsinki what would happen if Israel delayed the withdrawal,
Arafat said: ''This means there will be no implementation of the peace
accord and everybody has to bear responsibility about what will happen
afterwards.''
Meanwhile, Israeli helicopter gunships blasted two radical Palestinian
bases at a south Lebanon refugee camp today, wounding a guerrilla and
two refugees.
Security sources said two helicopters flying under the cover of
darkness fired four missiles at bases of two Damascus-based Palestinian
groups inside Ain el-Hilweh camp near the port of Sidon, 25 miles south
of Beirut.
The target groups are both members of a coalition that has vowed to
sabotage the PLO-Israeli peace agreement.--Reuter.
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