OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, 6 January — US peace envoy Anthony Zinni met Palestinian Authority officials yesterday, emerging still optimistic about truce prospects despite heightened tensions over Israel’s seizure of a shipload of smuggled arms. Zinni, suggesting progress in American efforts to end 15 months of bloodshed, said the sides would resume trilateral security talks today, broken off in December after a wave of violence wrecked an earlier push for a cease-fire.
But disputes over the arms shipment, which Israel insisted was bound for the Palestinian Authority, overshadowed the top-level talks and underscored the troubles ahead. The Palestinian Authority denied any link to the ship, said by Israel to contain 50 tons of mostly Iranian-supplied weapons for use by militants against Israelis. Israeli Army chief Shaul Mofaz said the seized vessel, the Karine-A, was owned by the Palestinian Authority and manned by Palestinian naval police.
Zinni remained publicly upbeat, insisting after his talks in the West Bank that his mission could bear fruit. "I am hopeful, I am encouraged," he told reporters after meeting Palestinian Cabinet member and chief negotiator Saeb Erekat in Jericho. "I think that it’s going to take cooperation from both sides and a deep commitment to get the meaningful cease-fire we need so we can get this process in order," he said.
Palestinian Parliament Speaker Ahmad Qorei said earlier that Zinni intended to return 12 days after his planned departure tomorrow. US Embassy officials in Israel could not confirm this, although they stressed that Zinni’s latest four-day trip was conceived as part of an extended shuttle diplomacy process.
