ARABS-ISRAEL - July 15 - Break For Camp David Talks.

Talks at the ME summit at Camp David in the US break off for the Jewish Sabbath, amid reports that negotiations are tense. Sources suggest Israeli PM Barak and Palestinian leader Arafat have been negotiating over the contested city of Jerusalem. (A strict news secrecy has been imposed, so there is no official word on the state of the talks.)

Alongside the status of Jerusalem, the 2 sides are also trying to discuss issues such as the future of Palestinian refugees and the establishment of a new Palestinian state. In his last briefing, Pres. Clinton's spokesman Lockhart says the discussions were dealing with what he describes as intractable issues. Palestinian sources outside the talks suggest Arafat has rejected a document put before him by American officials. Lockhart says: The Israeli leader came to Camp David insisting he would not relinquish Israeli sovereignty over any part of Jerusalem". (The Palestinians demand the return of the eastern part of the city as the capital of a Palestinian state.)

Palestinian sources say Arafat has considered and rejected Israeli proposals in the form of a redrawn map of the city. Palestinians in the ME who say they have spoken to their negotiators at Camp David suggest the talks have been particularly tense, with Arafat's team demanding the withdrawal of an American document which they say favoured Israel. Some reports say Arafat had threatened to walk out of talks unless the document was withdrawn. Lockhart says: I didn't see any luggage today. These are very, very difficult issues. I've heard about a lot of tensions between the parties. There are tensions every day when you're working through these issues". On July 14, a group of leading Palestinians, who have been critical of the peace process, arrived hoping to meet their leader and to get a briefing on the talks so far.

(The delegation, which included 2 government ministers who are Arafat backers and 2 opposition leaders from the Palestinian Liberation Organisation were stopped from seeing Arafat by Secretary of State Albright at Emmitsburg, 12 km north of Camp David. (US officials are opposed to allowing the delegation to see Arafat, citing agreed restrictions barring comings and goings from the heavily guarded discussions.) The delegation members said the US is keeping Arafat in talks with the Israelis without contact with his supporters in a bid to pressure him into concessions. Palestinian opposition figure Hanan Ashrawi, said after meeting Albright: This is not the best form of negotiation, to isolate Pres. Arafat from the executive committee and his constituency".