(12:20) Israel, PA resume full security cooperation

Foreign Minister Shimon Peres and Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat decided this morning that Israeli and Palestinian security forces will resume full cooperation.

Peres and Arafat met this morning at Gaza International Airport near Dahaniya in the south of the strip.

The two leaders did not speak as expected at a concluding press conference.

Instead, Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat read a joint statement drawn up by Peres and Arafat. The transcribed text of the statement is as follows:

"President Yasser Arafat and Foreign Minister Shimon Peres met on September 22nd, 2001, and they reiterated their full commitment to the implementation of Mitchell recommendations and the Tenet understandings. Since then, both sides agreed to establish a joint committee of senior representatives in order to deal with any issue that may arise over the implementation of the Mitchell recommendations and the Tenet understandings.

"The two sides will resume full security cooperation and will exert maximum efforts to reach a cease-fire in accordance with the party's commitments. They will carry out all their security obligations emanating from previous agreements. And the government of Israel will begin to lift [its] closures and redeploy its forces. The two sides agreed that President Arafat and Foreign Minister Peres will have a second meeting within a week or so."

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