August 8, 2002	Thursday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 28,1423

RAMALLAH, Aug 7: The Palestinian leadership gave a preliminary nod on Wednesday to an Israeli plan to tackle the 22-month conflict, even as Israeli forces killed three more wanted militants.

The tentative green light given during an emergency session of the Palestinian cabinet will be followed up by a new round of talks with the Israelis in Bethlehem, ministers here said.

The plan presented on Monday by Israeli Defence Minister Binyamin Ben Eliezer broadly sets out an Israeli withdrawal from re-occupied land in return for a crackdown on militants.

“The leadership decided to agree with this plan as it is the first step of a comprehensive withdrawal from the re-occupied territories and a return to the borders of 28 September 2000,” when the Palestinian uprising broke out, public works minister Azzem al-Ahmed said.

Nabil Shaath, minister for international cooperation, said there was preliminary agreement with the plan, despite scepticism from other ministers and many commentators on both sides.—AFP