Summary and Analysis

The Voice of Palestine is hammering home the view that there will be no talks with Ariel Sharon unless he picks up where Ehud Barak left off in Taba.

“From their two points of view both Minister of Information and Culture Yasser Abd Rabbo and Home Rule Minister Dr. Saeb Erikat said both of them that negotiations with the Israeli side would not resume except from the point at which they left off in Taba,” declared the V.O.P. announcer in the midnight news round-up, 12:03 a.m. Friday, February 9.

V.O.P. reported in a very low-key way (Thursday/Friday Midnight round-up) that the Administration of President George Bush asserted that the Clinton proposals were source authority for the peace process. But the report did not mention that Clinton himself and Ehud Barak seconded this view. In addition, V.O.P. and the PA continue to assert that unsigned Taba “understandings” with Barak ARE BINDING on the as-yet-unconfirmed Sharon Government.

Regarding last night’s car bombing in Jerusalem, V.O.P. continued in its policy of not condemning the act, adding that no one had taken credit for it. V.O.P. noted that the White House Spokesman Ari Fleischer had said the act showed the need to renew the peace process, without mentioning any American condemnation of the bombing.

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