OPT: Security officials discuss withdrawal timetable

Gaza (dpa) - Senior Israeli and Palestinian security officials late Tuesday in Tel Aviv discussed a timetable to implement Israel's unilateral disengagement plan, expected in mid August.
A Palestinian Interior Ministry statement said that the two sides previewed their general plans and put off the needed timetables to implement the agreed upon tasks until the end of July.

Palestinian Deputy Interior Minister General Jamal Abu Zayed met late Tuesday in Tel Aviv with Yitzhak Hariel, Israeli army chief of planning, to discuss more security coordination between the two sides.

The statement said that both had agreed to empower coordination between senior army and security chiefs, including "joint reconnaissance tours in the areas expected to be evacuated''. It was agreed to hold another meeting next week between the two senior officials to follow up the process of coordination between the two sides.

"The atmosphere of the meetings is positive and constructive. It contributed in creating a serious progress on the level of the security coordination,'' said the Interior Ministry statement.

Meanwhile, Palestinian Interior Minister Nasser Yousef met late Tuesday with Israeli Defence Minister Shaoul Mofaz, agreeing to meet again to continue their discussions of the Israeli evacuation.

Another Interior Ministry statement said that a joint meeting was held in the West Bank between Israeli and Palestinian security officials to discuss the handover of security control to the Palestinian Authority in the cities of Bethlehem and Qalqilya.

The statement said that both sides had agreed to finalize the issue of the security handover in the two cities through meetings on the ground between officers from both sides.

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