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Sharon rejects peace plan
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ISRAELI Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has rejected a proposal put forward by Egypt and Jordan aimed at halting the deadly tide of Israeli-Palestinian violence and resuming peace talks, Israeli radio reported yesterday.
The radio, quoting senior sources in Sharon's office, said the Palestinians had transmitted to Israel the proposal, which focuses on stopping violence, resuming security co-operation, implementing a third Israeli troop withdrawal from the West Bank and renewing talks for a final status agreement.
But Sharon has rejected the plan, viewing it as an "attempt to drag Israel into negotiations under fire", the radio said.
It said that senior Israel officials insist that negotiations will not be resumed until quiet is restored after more than six months of violence that has killed more than 460 people, most of them Palestinians.
Israel will only agree to negotiate an interim agreement and talks on a final agreement are not under consideration, the radio quoted the senior officials as saying.
Israeli police chief Shlomo Aharonishki has warned of a likely intensification in "terrorism" following a spate of attacks and called for a separation between Israel and the Palestinians, media reports said yesterday.
"The nightmare will continue, and there is a need for separation", Aharonishki was quoted as telling Israeli television.
"The potential for more terror attacks is very large, and prospects of preventing the attacks in a sweeping fashion are limited," he said.
"There's no way of giving a guarantee that terror strikes can be prevented over a long period. The moment the other side has heightened motivation, it becomes very hard to thwart attacks."(SD-Agencies)
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