The Palestinian Central Council is to delay for two months the declaration of an independent Palestinian state to allow more time for a peace deal to be reached with Israel. The 129-member Palestinian Central Council said in a statement this evening that final preparations for statehood should be completed by November the 15. The Palestinian president, Yasser Arafat, had earlier said that he could declare a state in the Gaza Strip and West Bank as early as Wednesday, the deadline for concluding a peace deal with Israel. The United States has welcomed tonight's decision as the right choice. A spokesman for the Israeli prime Minister said it was a positive step.
The Palestinians are expected to resume talks with Israel tomorrow following an appeal by President Clinton to give peace another chance. Mr Clinton met both sides in New York last week during the Millennium Summit. Yesterday he had an unexpected further meeting with the Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Barak. Afterwards a member of Mr Barak's delegation, Avshalom Vilan, said that the next few weeks would be vital to the peace process.
