[ Ha'aretz] Barak Ravid - The U.S. has proposed holding trilateral talks with Israel and the Palestinians in order to accelerate negotiations on the core issues and bridge the major gaps that still exist. But both Israel and the PA have expressed reservations about this idea, in light of their commitment to the principle of direct bilateral negotiations. Rice will fly to Israel Saturday night to try to push negotiations forward, and is likely to visit the region again later this month. The Americans have also suggested not holding the meeting in Jerusalem; Europe and Washington are both possible venues. Israeli sources said there are still significant differences between the two sides, especially concerning borders, security arrangements and refugees. The sources confirmed that the parties have agreed to begin drafting their respective positions. But "the fact that the parties' positions are being written down does not solve the disputes," said one source.
2008-06-10 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive