Israel and the PLO took a day off from negotiations Monday amid contradictory reports on progress in their effort to overcome differences holding up the Palestinian autonomy accord.
Israeli officials said some progress had been made, but a Palestine Liberation Organization official said talks were hung up on several issues, including security for Jewish settlers in the occupied territories.Two days of discussions ended late Sunday in Norway, and the quick decision to reconvene Tuesday was interpreted by an Israeli official as a positive sign. Palestinians and Israel radio said the talks would likely be in Cairo, Egypt.
Environment Minister Yossi Sarid said on his return from the Oslo talks that progress was made, but not enough to set a date for a summit between Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO chief Yasser Arafat.
"Progress was definitely made, but the extent of it we will only know after the two sides meet again," Sarid said on Israel army radio.
Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres, who met in Norway with senior PLO officials at the same mansion where they worked out their Sept. 13 peace accord, said that "interesting proposals were presented on both sides." He declined to elaborate but said the agreement to continue talks was positive.
But a member of the PLO ruling committee, Ali Ishak, said negotiations foundered in several areas, especially over security for Israelis living in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank city of Jericho, the first occupied territories from which Israeli troops are to withdraw under the autonomy plan. Ishak opposes the peace talks and is not one of the negotiators.
He said the PLO would call Arab League nations to a meeting of their foreign ministers to map out a unified Arab position.
An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed a radio report that the talks would resume Tuesday but could not say where. A Palestinian official said the negotiations would move to Cairo.
Rabin and Arafat met a week ago without resolving the deadlock over implementing Palestinian autonomy.
That delayed the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip and Jericho on Dec. 13.