Jerusalem, Oct 02: An adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon recently held secret talks with a senior Palestinian leader in the gulf state of Qatar, an Israeli government official said today. Ephraim Halevy, who was the head of the Mossad spy service until recently, and is now a Sharon adviser and head of the National Security Council, met the Palestinian official for talks on how to revive peace talks that collapsed in early 2001 amid fighting, said the Israeli official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. He refused to name the Palestinian official was. The Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahronot reported Halevy met Mahmoud Abbas, Yasser Arafat's deputy in the Palestine Liberation Organisation and a leading peace negotiator, in Qatar six weeks ago.
Abbas was in qatar a few days ago, but palestinian officials said they could not confirm that he met halevy.
Abbas denied he held talks with Halevy.

The Israeli newspaper said Halevy presented to Abbas a message from Sharon saying Israel is interested in a long-term deal with the Palestinians that would begin with an end to "terror" and the dismantlement of Arafat's "terror and financial mechansims."

Bureau Report