Arafat Holds Informal Discussions With Peres
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LISBON — Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat held informal talks here with Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres. It was Arafat’s first meeting with a member of Israel’s government since Ariel Sharon was elected prime minister in February.
The two met late Friday at the residence of Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Guterres, who initiated the meeting.
“It was a good meeting,” Peres told reporters. He stressed that the talks were “not a negotiation” but “an informal meeting.” He called it “an exchange of views.”
Arafat praised the longtime Israeli peace negotiator as a “peace partner” and said, “We have to thank him from all our hearts for his efforts.”
On Saturday, Arafat and Peres, who shared the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize with slain Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin for their peace efforts, shook hands before addressing a meeting of the Socialist International, which groups labor and socialist parties.
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