ALGERIA: A BREAK IN THE STALEMATE?

1. Translate the articles with the help of the Active Vocabu­lary list.

1. Last night angry Palestinian negotiatorswalked out of Jerusalem peace talks in protest at the attitude of Israeli dele­gates, which they described as that of "occupiers towards the occupied", PLO officials said. The walkout followed an earlier announcement by D. R., a US peace envoy, that he was going home, having failed to achieve a breakthrough in Israeli-PLO talks on Hebron after 15 days.

2. US Envoy Quits Peace Talks.The American special en­voy D. R. pulled out of slow-moving Israel-PLO peace talks yesterday, writes D. B. in Jerusalem.

The two sides are still deadlocked on Israel's promised with­drawal from Hebron. Israel wants to renegotiate the agreement, signed by the last government. But the Palestinians insist that the deal must be implemented, unchanged.

3. IRA Concession:The Irish Republican Army said it tends
to open negotiations with Northern Ireland's disarmament
commission, a significant gesture in support of the Good Friday
peace accord. The outlawed organization emphasized, however,
that it wouldn't meet the commission until a int Protestant-
Catholic administration for Northern Ireland appointed. The
much-anticipated announcement has been the subject of intense
negotiations during the past 11 weeks of discussions mediated
by U.S. diplomat G. M.. It is designed to break the deadlock be-

• Jj>___________ Английский язык. Общественно-политический перевод

tween the Ulster Unionists, the province's major British Protes­tant party, and IRA-linked Sinn Fein party.

4. A. Stiffens Stance.Ramallah, West Bank (AP) — Pales­
tinian leader Y. A. insisted Thursday that Israel carry out the
provisions of the Wye River land-for-security agreement to the
letter and denied reports that he might accept some changes.

A.'s comments came a day after Israeli and Palestinian nego­tiators tried to work out a detailed timetable for the accord under which Israel must hand over a total of 13 percent of the West Bank in three stages over three months.

The Wye agreement, signed last October, includes a week-by-week schedule for steps to be taken by the two sides.

5. Fears of fresh violence in the Middle Eastincreased
yesterday after the deadlocked Hebron talks degenerated into a
shouting match between the president of the Palestinian Author­
ity, Y. A., and the United States envoy, D.R.

According to Palestinian sources, Mr. A. told Mr. R.: "We have made enough concessions. My people will not agree to more".

This is not the first time the Hebron talks have been on the verge of collapse, Israeli and Palestinian negotiators had previ­ously announced they were close to agreement, but yesterday, as before, last minute hitches prevented the signing of a deal.

6. The U.S. and its European alliessuspended the Kosovo
talks until March 15.

The decision was taken after members of the Contact Group on Kosovo admitted that despite "substantial progress", they had failed to get the warring Serbs and ethnic Albanians to sign a settlement. British Foreing Secretary R. C. said that both sides had reached "a very substantial level of agreement" on an autonomy deal for Kosovo, but that they needed more time to "pin down the details". The main breakthrough after 17 days of intense negotiations in a chateau outside Paris was to get the Al­banian delegation to agree to sign a peace plan at a later date.

§ 2. Compromise and Deadlock

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7. British Prime Minister B.said progress towards peace in Northern Ireland was at an impasse but that he remained opti­mistic difficulties could be overcome, in the first ever speech by a British premier to an Irish parliament.

8.U.N.'s Annan Faces High Expectations.After grateful Palestinians received him like a savior, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan faced the last and possibly toughest challenge of his Middle East mission: persuading Israeli leaders to show greater flexibility in efforts to revive the peace talks. Annan was to meet with Prime Minister B. N. and Defense Minister Y. M.. Palestinian leader Y. A. said he hopes Annan can break the Is­rael-Palestinian deadlock as he did the U.N.-Iraq deadlock, but Annan tried to lower those expectations. "In the final analysis, the parties have to talk, have to negotiate, have to make the compromises necessary", he said. Israeli President E. W. told Annan, "I sometimes used to call the area the "Muddle East". I hope you will help us unmuddle it". But Annan is not expected to play a major part in moving forward the stalled negotiations. More central to the process is U.S. special mediator D. R., who will have to travel to the region today.

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