MIDDLE EAST: The long-delayed meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Mr Ariel Sharon and his Palestinian counterpart Mr Ahmed Korei, appeared to finally be on when officials from both sides said yesterday that the two men would hold a summit next week.
By the end of the day, however, the meeting was off.
According to Mr Korei, it had never been on. On a visit to Oslo yesterday, he said that "it is premature to talk about any dates". There would be a meeting next week, he added, between representatives of both sides to discuss a possible summit.
An aide to Mr Sharon said yesterday, however, that he expected a meeting next week, but that a date would not be set until Sunday.
Mr Sharon and Mr Korei have met several times before the latter became prime minister last year, but have yet to meet since. When they do meet, the Israeli leader's plan for a unilateral withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, that would include the removal of most - and maybe all - of the 21 settlements there, will be high on the agenda.
Mr Sharon will be discussing his Gaza plan today, and his ideas for "disengagement" from the Palestinians in general, with three US envoys in Jerusalem. The Americans are worried that a pull-out will leave a power vacuum in Gaza, while Israel is keen to hear what it will receive from the US if it exits the Strip.
Israeli undercover troops operating in the northern West Bank, yesterday shot dead five Palestinian gunmen who the army said were on their way to carry out an attack, most likely at a nearby settlement. The army said troops had engaged in a gun battle in Jenin with the five men, all members of the Fatah-related Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade.
Some Palestinians, however, said Israel had carried out a pin-point strike.
Witnesses said the men were driving in a blue Toyota that was left riddled with bullets after the shoot-out.
Palestinian President Mr Yasser Arafat yesterday met in Ramallah with Egyptian intelligence chief Mr Omar Suleiman to discuss Mr Sharon's Gaza plan.
Egypt is also concerned that if Israel pulls out, chaos could reign in the Strip, which straddles its border.
The issue is sure to be a point of discussion today when Israeli Foreign Minister Mr Silvan Shalom meets Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, in what will be the most high-level meeting between the two countries since Mr Sharon came to power three years ago.