Paris Mideast Talks End WIth No Deal

P A R I S, Oct. 5 -- Reports of a tentative cease-fire agreement between Israel and the Palestinians have proven premature.

Intense talks in Paris mediated by U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright have ended without an agreement — and the Israeli side is saying that it may not even be interested in continuing the discussion.

Both Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat were in France for the emergency talks, called after at least 66 people — mostly Palestinians — were killed in a week of violence.

Arafat Storms Out

Tensions were so high throughout the talks in Paris that at one point Arafat stormed out of the meetings and got in his car to leave, but Albright literally sprinted after the Palestinian leader and managed to convince him to return to the meeting.

At another point, Arafat was seen arguing angrily and shaking his finger at Albright as they left the Elysee Palace after a short meeting with President Jacques Chirac which the U.N. Secretary-General also attended.

The chaos was set off last Thursday when Israel’s right-wing opposition leader Ariel Sharon visited a Jerusalem site holy to Muslims and Jews. But Israel says the Palestinians used this as a pretext for the violence.

Earlier today came word that the Palestinians and Israelis have reached a tentative deal to end the violence. But Barak is now headed home rather than to the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, where he had been expected to meet again with Arafat and Albright.

“The prime minister is going home. There’s no point in going to Sharm el-Sheikh. Arafat gave commitments. Arafat refused to sign,” said a senior Israeli official, who asked not to be identified.

He said Barak saw no point in resuming talks in Egypt as long as Arafat refused to sign an agreement which had been drafted at the Paris talks and brokered by Albright.

Palestinian sources said Arafat had not refused to sign anything.