Arafat meets with Pres. Clinton in Washington to discuss the post-Oslo period; asks the U.S. to endorse the Palestinians' right to self-determination. Clinton says U.S. will not...
In Damascus, U.S. Asst. Secy. of State Martin Indyk meets with Syrian pres. Asad to discuss resuming talks with Israel after 5/17 elections. (SATN 3/14 in WNC 3/17; WT 3/15; al-...
Protest by Palestinian political prisoners against their detention in Israel's Megiddo jail turns into riot, injuring 3 Israeli policemen. Meanwhile, 44 Palestinians held in PA jails...
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Arafat meets with Pres. Clinton in Washington to discuss the post-Oslo period; asks the U.S. to endorse the Palestinians' right to self-determination. Clinton says U.S. will not change its policies but that final status talks, when they resume, should not be open-ended. (al-Akhbar 3/23 in WNC 3/24; MM, NYT, WP, WT 3/24; WJW 3/25; MEI, MM, PR, WJW 3/26; WJW 4/1)
In Georgia, PM Netanyahu holds talks with Pres. Eduard Shevardnadze on bilateral relations, economics, tourism, possible agmts. on military cooperation, oil, water. (Interfax, Radio Tblisi Network 3/23 in WNC 3/24; MM 3/25; Zerkalo Nedeli [Kiev] 3/27 in WNC 4/7; MM 4/6)
At an emergency mtg. in Vienna, Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), non-OPEC mbrs. agree to cut output by 2 mbpd to push prices up to avoid massive revenue losses by oil producers. Steps are in most drastic taken by OPEC in 13 yrs. (MM 4/1; MEI 4/9)
Arafat meets with Spanish FM Abel Matutes in Madrid. (RNE International [Madrid] 3/16 in WNC 3/19; WT 3/17)
U.S. special envoy Dennis Ross makes last minute trip to Madrid to meet with Arafat regarding his upcoming mtg. in Washington with Pres. Clinton on 3/23. (RNE International [Madrid] 3/16 in WNC 3/19; NYT 3/17)
U.S. House of Representatives approves (380-24) a resolution urging Pres. Clinton to oppose any unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state. (WP 3/17; WJW 2/18; MM 3/19, 3/22)
On his 1st trip abroad as head of state, King Abdullah of Jordan goes to Cairo, where he, Egyptian pres. Mubarak discuss peace process and economics, inaugurate $229 m. electricity grid linking Jordan, Egypt. (MENA, RJ, VOA 3/16 in WNC 3/17; MM, WP 3/17)
In Damascus, U.S. Asst. Secy. of State Martin Indyk meets with Syrian pres. Asad to discuss resuming talks with Israel after 5/17 elections. (SATN 3/14 in WNC 3/17; WT 3/15; al-Bayan 3/22 in WNC 3/24; al-Watan al-Arabi 3/26 in WNC 4/5)
Israel tells Jordan that this yr., it will be unable to provide the quantity of water promised under the 1994 peace agmt. due to an unusually dry winter, proposes a 60% cutback. Jordan says Israel must provide full allotment. (NYT, WP, WT 3/15; JT, JTV 3/15, AFP, al-Dustur, JT 3/16 in WNC 3/17; MM, WP 3/16; MM, WT 3/17; MM 3/19; al-Quds 3/20 in WNC 3/22; WJW 3/25; MEI 3/26)
In London, Arafat meets with British PM Tony Blair. (SA 3/11 in WNC 3/12; VOA 3/18 in WNC 3/19; PR 3/19)
For 2d day in Gaza, PA police clash with 100s of Palestinians protesting PA police shooting of demonstrators 3/10. PA declares area a closed military zone, confiscates film fr. 6 photographers, detain 3 journalists. More than 50 Palestinians, including 17 policemen, are injured. (WT 3/12; RMC 3/12 in WNC 3/16; PR 3/19; MEI 3/26)
U.S. Senate approves (98-1) resolution urging Pres. Bill Clinton not to recognized a unilaterally declared Palestinian state. (RMC 3/12 in WNC 3/16; al-Jazira 3/13 in WNC 3/17; al-Quds 3/17 in WNC 3/22; WJW 3/18; PR 3/19) (see Doc. C3)
Iranian pres. Khatami meets with Pope John Paul II. (CSM, MM, NYT, WP, WT 3/12; MM 3/15)
On the last day of his regional tour, U.S. Defense Secy. Cohen stops in Egypt, pays courtesy call on PM Netanyahu in Israel. (MM 3/11; MENA 3/11 in WNC 3/12; NYT, WP, WT 3/12; WT 3/13; al-Quds 3/13 in WNC 3/17; MM 3/17; al-Watan al-Arabi 3/26 in WNC 4/5)
Saudi Arabia signs protocol with Afghanistan's Taliban under which only Taliban-certified Afghans may participate in the Hajj, lending credence to rumors that the Taliban broke with Saudi dissident Bin Laden a mo. or so ago, is no longer providing him safe haven. (GIU 3/16; see NYT 3/4)
In Amman, Turkey, Jordan hold talks in the context of their security cooperation agmt. on combatting terrorism, drug smuggling, organized crime. (ATL 3/12 in WNC 3/16)
Turkish lawyer Ahmet Zeki Okcuoglu agrees to take up Ocalan's defense again but says that he still does not feel secure. (NYT 3/12) (see 2/25)
Hizballah attacks a South Lebanon Army (SLA) post in s. Lebanon, wounding 1 SLA mbr. (VOL 3/11 in WNC 3/12)
Protest by Palestinian political prisoners against their detention in Israel's Megiddo jail turns into riot, injuring 3 Israeli policemen. Meanwhile, 44 Palestinians held in PA jails without charge end mo.-long hunger strike (see 2/12), claiming that they have reached an agmt. with the PA to resolve their case. (AFP [Internet] 3/1; PR 3/5)
A Palestinian is shot, wounded by IDF when he tries to avoid a road block nr. Ramallah. (PR 3/5)
Jordanian, Israeli water officials meet in Amman to prepare funding proposals to the EU for joint water projects in the Jordan Valley. (JT 3/2 in WNC 3/4; al-Ayyam 3/3 in WNC 3/5)
Jordanian FM `Abdallah Khatib makes 1st high-level Jordanian visit to Kuwait since the 1990+n91 Gulf conflict. Kuwait says that bilateral relations have returned to normal. (Petra-JNA, Radio Kuwait 3/2, JT 3/3 in WNC 3/4; MM, WP 3/3; Xinhua 3/3 in WNC 3/5)
Pentagon confirms that the U.S., Britain, Turkey have signed their 1st agmt. on technical rules of engagement for air operations in n. Iraq, broadening rules of engagement for pilots for 2d time since 1/25. (MM, NYT, WP, WT 3/2)
Israel's atty. gen. files formal request for a larger group of High Court justices to reconsider the 2/25 decision not to extradite Sheinbein. (WP 3/2; WJW 3/4, 3/11)
Results of Iran's 2/26 local elections show that reform candidates allied with moderate Pres. Mohamed Khatami won a sweeping victory, taking all seats in Tehran, most seats nationwide. (WP, WT 3/2; NYT, WP, WT 3/3; MM, NYT, WP 3/8)
Lebanese brace for escalation in Israeli attacks following 2/28 incident. Israel's security cabinet threatens future strikes, but under strong international pressure, the IDF stages no attacks. (RL 3/1 in WNC 3/2; CSM, NYT, WP, WT 3/2; ITAR-TASS, MA 3/2 in WNC 3/4)
