Israeli and Palestinian leaders met Wednesday in Paris for secret talks on border checkpoints, amid reports that the two sides were developing a plan to share responsibility.
A compromise would clear a significant obstacle in the Mideast peace negotiations, possibly hastening an Israeli pullout from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank region around Jericho as agreed under the Israel-PLO peace accord.Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres arrived in Paris late Tuesday, the last of the negotiators to arrive in the French capital. He proceeded to an undisclosed location for the talks, an Israeli Embassy official said.
Yasser Abed-Rabbo, leader of the Palestinian delegation, arrived earlier.
Israeli radio reports said Wednesday's talks were being held at a hotel in Versailles just outside Paris. Norwegian officials were also to attend.
The negotiations were a continuation of weekend talks held in Norway on control of the borders, roads and bridges linking Israeli-occupied lands with Jordan and Egypt.
Meanwhile, Palestinian assailants in a passing car shot and killed two Israelis Wednesday in the Palestinian village of Beituniya, firing dozens of bullets into their car in the occupied West Bank.
Also, the new U.S. ambassador in Beirut, Mark Hambley, presented his credentials to Lebanese Foreign Minister Fares Boueiz. Hambley also handed Boueiz a letter from U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher affirming Washington's determination to secure the pullout of all foreign troops from Lebanon.