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Israel, Palestinians to resume talks despite violence

JERUSALEM JUNE 14. Israel and the Palestinians are resuming top-level security talks despite a bloody week of bombings and missile strikes that left 60 people dead on both sides, officials said on Saturday.

On the table is a proposal that Israel withdraw from parts of the Gaza Strip, to positions held before the outbreak of fighting in September 2000, officials on both sides said.

Despite the planned talks, Abdel Aziz Rantisi, a hard-line Hamas leader, said on Saturday his Islamic militant group would not halt its attacks against Israel.

"The word ceasefire is not in our dictionary," he said. "Resistance will continue until we uproot them from our home land."

The Israeli officials said the Palestinian security chief, Mohammed Dahlan, would meet later on Saturday with the Israeli Defence Minister, Shaul Mofaz, while the Israel Radio said Israel would be represented in the talks by Maj. Gen. Amos Gilad, a senior defence official.

Mr. Dahlan said that there were no plans yet for a meeting. However, Palestinian sources said the security chief was to meet late on Saturday with Gilad and Avi Dichter, the head of Israel's Shin Bet security service. Mr. Mofaz might also join the talks, the sources said.

It would be the first high-level meeting since the U.S. President, George W. Bush, launched the "road map" at a summit last week. The security talks would coincide with the arrival of the first contingent of the U.S. monitors who are to supervise implementation of the plan. The team of 10 to 15 CIA and State Department officials is headed by John Wolf, an Assistant Secretary of State. — AP

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