News


NO PROGRESS REPORTED DURING MEETINGS WITH ROSS

ISRAEL LINE
FRIDAY, MAY 9, 1997

  United States Middle East Coordinator Dennis Ross held separate meetings
with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority Chairman
Yasser Arafat on Thursday, MA'ARIV reported. No breakthrough in the
deadlocked peace negotiations was reported after the meetings.
  During an earlier, separate meeting between Netanyahu, Ross and Foreign
Minister David Levy, the Prime Minister presented Ross with several ideas
aimed at resuming the negotiations.
  Ross is scheduled to meet with Defense Minister Yitzhak Mordechai today,
Israel Radio, KOL YISRAEL, reported.
  After the meeting, Ross is scheduled to travel to Gaza for continued talks
with Arafat. The American mediator will reportedly travel to Egypt later
today for a meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
 General Security Service Chief Ami Ayalon is slated to meet with leaders of
the Palestinian security agencies today. Representatives of the U.S. Central
Intelligence Agency are also expected to participate in the meeting, which
will focus on security cooperation in combating terrorism.
  HA'ARETZ reported that Ayalon is expected to present his Palestinian
counterparts with data concerning the activities of wanted terrorists who
have not yet been arrested by the Palestinian Authority. He is also expected
to demand that the Palestinian Authority act more strongly against Hamas.





ISRAEL LINE