December 27, 2001	Thursday	Shawwal 11, 1422

TEL AVIV, Dec 26: An Israeli helicopter gunship killed a Palestinian during a battle between soldiers and gunmen in the West Bank on Wednesday in a fresh spate of violence that overshadowed a rare session of security talks between the sides.

Israeli and Palestinian security officials held talks on the Gaza Strip border at which a senior Palestinian security official said they had agreed to repair Gaza international airport which had been damaged by Israeli troops.

The official, Major General Abdel-Razek al-Majaydeh, also said Israel agreed to extend the hours of the Rafah border crossing to Egypt and ease curbs on Gazan workers and merchants entering Israel. Israeli officials had no immediate comment.

The gun battle and an earlier Israeli raid on a West Bank village challenged comments by Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres that his recent talks with a Palestinian official meant relations between the two sides were no longer at rock bottom.

“Chances for peace had reached the lowest point, the zero point, in relations between the Palestinian authorities and Israel,” Peres said during a visit to Ukraine.

“But I think we have departed from zero point and begun to move,” he said about his talks with Ahmed Korei, speaker of the Palestinian parliament.

Palestinian officials said the two men had put together talking points for a permanent deal.

“I cannot talk now about encouraging positions, nor can I say that these meetings have yielded results, but there are ideas under discussion and the Palestinian leadership is studying and considering them,” Palestinian Information Minister Yasser Abed Rabbo told Voice of Palestine radio on Wednesday.

GUNBATTLE: Palestinian ambulance workers said a Palestinian civilian was killed by fire from an Israeli helicopter gunship on the outskirts of the West Bank town of Jenin as the army fought gunmen nearby.

Israeli military sources said helicopters shot at two gunmen who were involved in the exchange of fire, hitting one of them.

In a statement, the army said the gun battle began after its forces opened fire at a squad of armed Palestinians and gave chase, driving them into an abandoned building where the fighting continued.

Palestinian witnesses and ambulance workers said the gun battle erupted after Israeli tanks entered a residential area and drew Palestinian fire. They said four other Palestinian civilians were wounded by Israeli fire.—Reuters