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U.S. awaits Mideast truce response

Tenet
Tenet has laid out a peace blueprint  


JERUSALEM -- U.S. CIA Chief George Tenet is expecting answers from Israel and Palestinians to his cease-fire proposal, but fresh violence threatens to derail peace efforts.

Tenet met with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat last week to promote peace in the Mideast and is set to attend a three-way security meeting later on Sunday.

EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and Swedish Prime Minister Goran Persson are also in the region to bolster the fragile cease-fire.

Persson -- whose country currently holds the EU presidency -- and Solana met with Arafat early on Sunday and are due to meet with Sharon later.

The meetings come after three Palestinian women were killed overnight by Israeli tank fire in Gaza -- the first deadly violence since Arafat called for a cease-fire on June 2.

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CNN's Ben Wedeman reports on efforts to keep the cease-fire on Gaza borders (June 8)

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The Israeli army said the assault was in response to Palestinian gunfire at an army post.

CNN Correspondent Jerrold Kessell reported Sharon has said an investigation is under way and the Israeli leader will not make any further comment until it is completed.

The women were all related and were sitting in their family tent at the time of the attack. Four other family members were injured.

The catalyst for the truce was a suicide bombing in Tel Aviv a week ago which killed 21 young Israelis, applying heavy international pressure for Arafat to join a cease-fire Israel called on May 22.

No one has yet publicly claimed responsibility for the attack, which Arafat has denounced.

Now both sides face the most intense U.S. diplomatic barrage since the Bush administration came to power.

Soldier
Fresh violence threatens to derail peace efforts  

The United States has been pushing both sides to implement the recommendations of the Mitchell committee, an international and independent panel headed by former U.S. Senator George Mitchell.

The Mitchell committee report calls for an immediate cessation of violence, confidence-building measures by both sides and then a return to peace talks.

Senior Washington diplomat George Burns has also been meeting with officials from both sides, trying to strengthen the cease-fire and ensure a resumption of peace talks. He said he is counting on words to be accompanied by deeds.

U.S. officials have not given details of the proposal Tenet made to the sides in a meeting on Friday.

Israel says everything is dependent on a total cessation of violence and incitement, but the Palestinians say Israel must commit to the confidence-building measures, especially a freeze in construction in Jewish settlements in the West Bank and Gaza.







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