Communicated by the Israel Foreign Ministry, November 8, 1999.

Negotiations on the Framework Agreement on permanent status between Israel and the Palestinians officially began with a meeting in Ramallah today. The talks opened with speeches by the heads of the negotiating teams, Oded Eran and Yasser Abed Rabbo, followed by a discussion on topics to be included in the framework agreement.

Prime Minister Ehud Barak has set out a number of guidelines for the Israeli delegation:

• The framework agreement will signal the end of the conflict between the two sides.
• The accord will bring about a separation of political policy and security between Israel and “the Palestinian entity”.
• “Keeping to the “5 red lines:” No return to 1967 borders, a united Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, no foreign army west of the Jordan valley, no return of refugees to Israeli territory, and most of the settlements to be absorbed by Israel.

The delegations will meet in Ramallah again on Thursday (Nov 11), and next week the negotiations will be held in Israel.