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Israel's decision to postpone the implementation of the gradual army pullout from the West Bank and Gaza is a "dangerous action," an aide to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat said on Sunday.
Nabil Abu Rudeineh told reporters in the West Bank city of Ramallah that the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) is urging the the quartet committee, which groups the United Nations, the United States, the European Union and Russia, to compel Israel to finalize the pullout from all the occupied Palestinian territories.
"The Israeli government is becoming unable to reach and implement any agreement signed with the PNA," the Palestinian official complained.
Israeli Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer decided on Saturday to adopt a recommendation by senior Israeli army officers to halt an Israeli army pullout from the West Bank city of Hebron at least until the end of the Jewish High Holidays, some six weeks from now.
However, Palestinian security sources announced that Israel and the Palestinians agreed to continue their security talks this week in an attempt to advance the implementation of the plan.
Meanwhile, chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat on Sunday denied Israeli reports that the United States is sending envoy David Satterfield to the Middle East to pressure the Palestinians to replace Arafat.
Erekat told reporters that such reports are not true and the Palestinian side was informed by the United States that Satterfieldis visiting the region in an attempt to break the cycle of ongoing violence.
Israeli reports said Satterfield is visiting the region in an attempt to work with the Palestinians on a proposal to replace Arafat and create the position of a prime minister instead of president for the PNA.
"The Israeli reports are inciting ideas aiming at undermining any effort to bring the Middle East peace process back on track," said Erekat.
(China Daily August 26, 2002)
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