
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, December 27, 1993                   TAG: 9312270036
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: CAIRO, EGYPT                                LENGTH: Medium

ISRAEL MAY HAVE NEW PEACE OFFER

Palestinian and Israeli negotiators may have a new proposal to consider today when they begin their third attempt to smooth over the differences that have delayed implementation of their peace treaty.

Egyptian foreign Minister Amr Moussa expressed hope that the talks would be the last before the two sides sign a pact detailing Israel's withdrawal from occupied land, as called for in the peace treaty.

In Jerusalem, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin told his Cabinet that Israel was ready to double the amount of land it would cede to Palestinian control around the West Bank town of Jericho, Israeli radio said.

The two sides hope to pave the way for a summit between Rabin and PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat and the start of Israeli withdrawal from Jericho and the Gaza Strip.

Also Sunday, the main group of militant Muslims opposing the Sept. 13 peace accord offered to stop attacking Israelis if Israel agreed to withdraw all its forces from the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

"Stop all manifestations of violence from the Israeli side and . . . the Palestinian side will stop" its attacks, Mahmoud Al-Zahar, a Gaza-based surgeon and leader of the Hamas group, said on Israel army radio.

Until now, Hamas has insisted it would not lay down arms against Israel until the Jewish state is supplanted by an Islamic one. Hamas has stepped up attacks on Israeli targets since the Israel-PLO agreement was signed in Washington.

Israeli chief-of-staff Ehud Barak was quoted Sunday by an Israeli newspaper as saying Hamas' proposal was not serious.

Arafat, who arrived Sunday in Cairo, briefed President Hosni Mubarak on the results of rounds of negotiations last week, Moussa said.

"We hope the Cairo round will be the last before signing an agreement [on withdrawal] between the two sides," Moussa said.

A Dec. 13 deadline for starting withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and Jericho was missed because of disagreement over who should control the borders with Egypt and Jordan. Other sticking points include the size of the Jericho autonomous zone and how to protect Jewish settlements in the occupied lands.

Palestinian sources said some progress was made on these issues at talks in Paris and Oslo last week.

Palestinian negotiators and Israeli officials expressed optimism that an end to the delays is in sight.

"I think the Cairo round will be the last round in reaching a solution to the principal problems," said Nabil Shaath, who has been the chief Palestine Liberation Organization negotiator in the talks.

Rabin's spokesman, Gad Ben-Ari, said that "while we strongly hope that there will be significant progress tomorrow, we will give it additional time if needed."

Israel radio reported that Israel would offer 20 square miles - nearly double its original offer - for an autonomous area that would include Jericho and two adjacent refugee camps. Arafat has insisted on 80 square miles.

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