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Kadosh, Kadosh,, YHVH, TZEVAOT FROM THE DESK
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*Michael Spitzer* <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
The Best Way To Destroy Enemies Is To Change Them To
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State Department says next 48 hours "critical" for Mideast ceasefireWASHINGTON, June 13 (AFP) - The State Department on Wednesday said the next 48 hours in the Middle East would be "critical" if a new truce agreement between Israel and the Palestinians was to hold.Echoing comments by other US officials, department spokesman Philip Reeker the next two days would decide whether the ceasefire blueprint brokered late Tuesday by CIA chief George Tenet would work and lead to a resumption of peace talks. "Implementation will require good-faith efforts by both sides and I think the next 24 hours -- 48 hours at least -- are critical for each side to demonstrate to the other its commitment to fulfilling the obligations they've undertaken," Reeker told reporters. "We're going to be watching this very closely," he said. "It's a good plan, we're very pleased that both sides have signed on and that's where we'll continue." Reeker refused to detail the items in the Tenet plan and other officials were equally tight-lipped declining to give a single specific of the plan. "The mutual steps include Palestinian actions against those perpetrating violent acts and Israeli actions to ease the closure and economic pressures on the Palestinians," was as far as one senior official would go. The ceasefire formally took effect at 1200 GMT Wednesday, Israeli Defense Minister Binyamin Ben Eliezer said. According to Israeli media reports, the Tenet plans called for an immediate truce and a meeting 48 hours later to review the status on the ground since then. During those 48 hours, Israel must have begun to withdraw its armor from advanced positions inside Palestinian territory and ceased attacks against Palestinian Authority targets, they said. For their part, the Palestinians must have proceeded to arrest a certain number of militants included on a list provided by Israel, ended incitement to violence by the official media and stopped any attacks on Israeli targets. Five days later, the two sides are meet again to review steps that each had taken to consolidate the ceasefire. Reeker said Tenet, who met earlier Wednesday with Israeli and Palestinian security officials in Tel Aviv, had left the region and would be arriving in Washington later in the day. US special Middle East assistant William Burns, who has been in the region discussing how to resume political negotiations, travelled to Belgium on Wednesday to join Secretary of State Colin Powell in a meeting with Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres, he said. Burns was to return to Jerusalem on Thursday to continue discussions, Reeker said. Copyright � 1994-2001 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved. =======================================================
Kadosh,,, YHVH, TZEVAOT FROM THE DESK
OF:
*Michael Spitzer* <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
The Best Way To Destroy Enemies Is To Change Them To
Friends ======================================================= |
Title: State Department says next 48 hours "critical" for Mideast ceasefire
