World

Mideast Peace Progress

August 23, 1999 / 12:16 PM EDT / AP

Shaking off widespread concerns that peace talks were deadlocked, Israeli and Palestinian negotiators struck a deal Monday to fulfill a long-delayed aspect of peace accords, agreeing on a method to give Palestinians promised freedom of movement between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

The Â"safe passageÂ" agreement, on the eve of a key meeting between U.S. and Palestinian officials, brings Yasser Arafat a step closer to consolidating the parameters of his longed-for Palestinian state.

The passage, to open on Oct. 1, means that Palestinians will be more free to travel through Israel on the road from the Erez Crossing in the northern Gaza Strip to a village near the West Bank town of Hebron, top Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said.

Though Palestinians can in principle already travel between the two regions, they are required to request permits for the journey -- a process that can take days and is often fruitless

Erekat did not outline the conditions for the crossing, but previously, negotiators have said that designated buses will transport workers from the chronically underemployed strip to Gaza, and that a "VIP" pass for Palestinian cars -- limited only to a select few Palestinian leaders now -- will be greatly expanded.

Israel, fearing for its security, has long resisted implementing the Â"safe passageÂ" outlined in the breakthrough 1993 Oslo accords.

The checkpoints for the passage have been in place since last year, but stood idle after the previous hard-line Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu froze the peace process.

In another symbol of renewed peace momentum since Prime Minister Ehud Barak trounced Netanyahu in May elections, the negotiators agreed that construction on a Gaza sea port should commence on Oct. 1.

The compromises come on the eve of a meeting in Washington between Erekat and another top Palestinian negotiator and Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.

Arafat had called for U.S. intervention, complaining that Israel was stubbornly resisting implementing aspects of Wye, including a release of 650 Palestinians jailed for anti-Israel activity and of a land withdrawal.

Israelis chided Arafat for manufacturing a Â"crisisÂ" atmosphere and said negotiations were going along fine.

Israel insists that the accords call for the release of only 500 prisoners, and refuses to release any who have been involved in the killing of Israelis. Palestinians want a withdrawal from 11 percent of the West Bank to take place immediately; Barak wants to stretch the withdrawal to stretch into 2000.

Those issues remain unresolved.