JERICHO, West Bank - Israeli and Palestinian commanders began talks on Wednesday on Israel's imminent transfer of security control to the Palestinian Authority of the West Bank cities of Jericho and Tulkarem.
General Tal Russo, commander of Israeli troops in the Jordan Valley, and Haj Ismail Jabr, the top Palestinian security official in the West Bank, were leading the talks.
Late Tuesday, Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas and Israeli Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz announced that Israel would cede security control of Jericho and Tulkarem "in the coming days".
The transfer of security in five West Bank towns -- Ramallah, Bethlehem, Qalqilya, Tulkarem and Jericho -- was one of the key issues agreed on at a landmark Middle East peace summit in Egypt last month.
03/09/2005 12:09 GMT