Israeli and Palestinian negotiators resumed talks in Cairo this week about implementing the next phase of the self-rule accord.
Among the topics discussed Tuesday was Palestinian suggestion to bring international observers to the West Bank and Gaza strip to monitor Palestinian elections.
The meeting came as Palestine Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafat convened a special gathering of the PLO’s 18-member executive committee in the Egyptian capital later that day to discuss delays in expanding Palestinian autonomy to the rest of the West Bank.
Arafat called the executive committee meeting after declaring that the negotiations had reached an impasse.
Not all members of the PLO’s executive board were expected to be present at Tuesday’s meeting. Six members have either resigned or suspended their membership to protest the Israeli-PLO accord.
After several previous rounds to talks, Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank in advance of Palestinian elections.
Israeli security concerns and demands that Arafat crack down on terrorists has been a leading factor in slowing the pace of negotiations.
The Palestinians have also blamed the impasse on the recent closure of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, imposed by Israel after a terror attack near Netanya on Jan. 22 that killed 21 Israelis.
Rabin announced a gradual lifting of the closure after he met last week with Arafat, saying that 15,000 Palestinians would be granted permits to work in Israel.
With the lifting of the closure Sunday, only those Palestinians who are older than 30, are married and have previously been granted work permits are being permitted back into Israel.
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