Barak, Arafat to meet with Albright
By Herb Keinon, Lamia Lahoud, and David Franklin
JERUSALEM (October 4) - A week after Prime Minister Ehud Barak met on his verandah in a "warm and open" atmosphere with Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat, the two are scheduled to meet today in Paris in drastically different conditions, and under the watchful eye of US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.
American officials say Barak and Arafat are expected to first meet separately with Albright, followed by a trilateral meeting. US special envoy Dennis Ross is also expected to attend.
The meeting follows another day of violence in Israel and the Palestinian territories, in which one Israeli Arab and at least four Palestinians were killed. Two IDF soldiers and a border policeman were hurt in the clashes. In addition, at least 80 Palestinians were hurt. So far 56 people have died and at least 1,300 have been wounded, most of them Palestinian.
In inviting the two leaders to Paris, Albright said, "The purpose of our meetings is to find a way to end the violence, restore calm, and ensure that there is no repeat of such an escalation."
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