Labor, Meretz aides meet PA in London - no real difference in substance
between those meeting
By Arnon Regular Ha'aretz 22 December 2002

Labor and Meretz representatives, including the personal adviser of Labor
chair Amram Mitzna, met last week in London with representatives of the
Palestinian Authority.

The meetings tooks place under the auspices of the Peres Center for Peace.
Mitzna's aide, along with those of Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, Haim Ramon, Matan
Vilnai, Zahava Gal-On and Roman Bronfman, met with a Palestinian delegation
that included Mahmoud Yaseen, who is in charge of protocol in Arafat's
office, and the assistants of Information Minister Yasser Abd Rabbo, Mahmoud
Abbas (Abu Mazen), Nabil Shaath, Ahmed Qureia (Abu Ala) and others.

"These meetings, designed to renew the dialogue between the parties, were
planned a long time ago and did not take place until now for various
reasons," explained the director of the Peres Center for Peace, Ron Pundak.

"It was made clear in the meetings that the real differences between the
sides are not related to substance but rather to a lack of trust because of
the conflict in the last two years," Pundak noted.

Both sides have expressed the will to reach peace and live in mutual respect
and recognition, and to end the occupation and the terror. This is the only
way to promise both nations a future of good neighborly relations, peace and
security within safe borders based on international recognition and other
initiatives, such as the Arab peace initiative and the speech made by
President Bush last June, the parties said.