Jerusalem, Oct 31: Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has declared that he was ready to talk peace with the new Palestinian Prime Minister at any time, but US officials took a tougher stance, saying real action was needed first. Israel had previously indicated that it would not talk with the new Palestinian government led by Ahmed Qureia, as it was too closely associated with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. Sharon, speaking at an economic forum in Tel Aviv, said that the absence of a top-level dialogue between the two sides was due to Palestinian reluctance.
"The reason we don`t have prime ministerial level contacts stems from the fact that Palestinians have requested time to allow the designated Palestinian Prime Minister to establish himself," Sharon said.
"We are ready to enter negotiations at any time," the Prime Minister said.
Qureia is serving a head of an emergency Cabinet appointed by Arafat with a one-month mandate that expires November 4. Arafat has asked Qureia to form a full cabinet by then, though he failed in weeks of haggling - including serious disagreements with Arafat himself - to put together a Cabinet over the past month. Bureau Report