Powell meets Arafat to discuss possible ceasefire

As the two men began talks on a possible ceasefire and return to the negotiating table, Israel announced that it was to allow journalists and humanitarian workers access to much of the Palestinian territory in the West Bank which it has occupied over the past weeks.

But it retained ‘‘closed military zones’’ around Mr Arafat’s compound in Ramallah itself, which has been under siege by Israeli forces for more than two months.

And no access will be permitted to the area around the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, where hundreds of Palestinian gunmen are sheltering, and to the Jenin refugee camp, where allegations of a massacre of civilians have been made.

Mr Powell had called for restraint by Israeli forces on the West Bank and for ‘‘unimpeded access to humanitarian organizations’’ for the Palestinian people caught up in the 16-day Israeli operation.

European Commissioner Chris Patten today warned that failure to make a breakthrough in the current round of talks would undermine both Israeli security and the international coalition against terrorism.

Wishing Mr Powell’s efforts well, he told Sky News: ‘‘I don’t think any of us would blame Colin Powell if his mission doesn’t produce immediate compliance with what the whole international community is arguing for.

‘‘I hope we will be able to go on working with the US administration and co-operating with them as effectively as we have in the battle against terrorism, but a failure to produce a political breakthrough in the Middle East is not somehow going to mean that the campaign against terrorism is more successfully prosecuted. It is going to make it more difficult to prosecute it.’’

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s policy of targeting Mr Arafat threatened to produce ‘‘anarchy’’ in the region by removing the only legitimate Palestinian negotiating partner available to Israel, warned Mr Patten.

‘‘Does anyone seriously believe that the policy being pursued by Mr Sharon will make Israel more secure?’’ he asked. ‘‘It is not going to make Israel more secure.’’

Arafat’s envoy in the UK today warned that Mr Powell was coming under pressure from elements within the US administration who did not want a resolution to the conflict which would produce a Palestinian state alongside Israel.

Afif Safieh told Sky News’ Sunday with Adam Boulton: ‘‘There is a negative pressure hanging over his head, which is the pro-Israeli lobby in Washington that has been lobbying the White House in order to hamper and handicap Colin Powell in his diplomacy.

‘‘That is the negative pressure that I am afraid may destroy his chances.’’

Mr Safieh held out the prospect of an end to the campaign of suicide bombings if agreement could be reached.

‘‘Give Yasser Arafat the possibility of a credible quick initiative that will get us the end of occupation and justice and statehood, then the entire Palestinian public opinion will sway again into believing in a credible diplomatic avenue,’’ he said.

‘‘We will rally even the majority of Hamas supporters today if we get tomorrow the two-state solution.’’

But former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak suggested that there would be no resolution until Mr Sharon had completed his operation to root out the infrastructure of support for Palestinian terror.

He told Sky: ‘‘Arafat was, and still is, the real obstacle for any breakthrough in the deadlock.

‘‘I believe that Mr Powell has seen what is going on here on the ground... and he realises that before an end will be put to this violence, it doesn’t make sense for Israel to stop its operation on the sources of this terror.’’