JERUSALEM - Senior Palestinian and Israeli officials agreed Thursday to work to ensure a de facto truce remains in place after violence flared in the occupied Gaza Strip, senior Palestinian sources said.
The decision was taken at a meeting in Jerusalem between Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's top advisor, Dov Weisglass, and chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat, the sources said.
The two men also agreed that Sharon and Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas, currently on a tour of Asia, would in principle meet next month.
They also agreed to reactivate joint committees on confidence-building measures such as the release of Palestinian prisoners and the transfer of security control to Palestinians in parts of the West Bank, the sources said.
Israel has recently stalled plans to release Palestinians prisoners and transfer security control of three West Bank districts, accusing Abbas of failing to take adequate steps to disarm militants and crackdown of attacks.
05/19/2005 10:50 GMT