In response to Prime Minister Sharon´s declaration that a 48-hour cease fire would enable a resumption of Palestinian-Israeli talks, the following contradictory statements emerged from the Palestinian Authority:

" ´I have issued strict instructions for a total commitment to the cease-fire´ Arafat said..." [The Jerusalem Post, September 20, 2001]

"This [cease-fire] declaration is nothing more than a tactical initiative and a political maneuver on the part of the [Palestinian] Authority, so that the Palestinians won´t be perceived as hostile towards the peace process. "

[Amin Maqbul, Member, Fatah World Leadership and Fatah Delegate in Shechem (Nablus), the Palestinian Authority official daily, Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, September 20, 2001]

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