Israel, PA hold security meeting

KFAR SABA, APRIL 22.A suicide bomber detonated himself at a crowded intersection during the morning rush hour, killing himself and one Israeli, and leaving 19 injured in a Tel Aviv suburb, police and rescue services said.

The attacker, believed to be a Palestinian, set off the bomb outside a bus as it pulled up at the intersection in Kfar Saba.

``When the bus arrived, a suicide bomber approached it and leaned against it while setting off a device,'' said a police commander, Mr. Yehuda Bahar. Those inside the bus and at the bus stop were injured. The rescue services spokesman, Mr. Yeruham Mandola, said the seriously injured included a child.

Israel has been rocked by repeated explosions carried out by Palestinian militants since the Palestinian uprising began seven months ago. The Prime Minister, Mr. Ariel Sharon, has pledged swift and harsh retaliation for such attacks, and Israel has carried out several raids in recent weeks following mortar attacks by Palestinians.

The latest explosion went off as commuters were heading to work today, the beginning of the work week in Israel. Police sealed off the area and searched for additional explosives.

Security meeting `positive'

AFP reports from Jerusalem:

Israel today hailed an overnight security meeting with the Palestinian Authority (PA) representatives as ``serious and positive'', with the two sides agreeing to cooperate on a joint security plan.

The meeting, near the Erez crossing point between the Gaza strip and Israel, ``was carried out in a serious and positive atmosphere'', a spokesman for the Israeli Prime Minister's office said.

The two parties ``decided to cooperate on a security plan and to apply measures aimed at putting an end to the violence and terrorism'', as well as new measures to ease restrictions on the Palestinian population, the spokesman added.

The Palestinian team, at the three-hour meeting, was led by Generals Amin al-Hindi and Abdel Razeq al-Majeida, respectively head of the Palestinian Intelligence and public security chief in the Gaza strip, a Palestinian source said.

The Israeli delegation was led by Gen. Giora Eiland, military commander, southern Israel, Gen. Doron Almog and Avi Dichter, head of Israel's internal security service Shin Beth. The two sides held inconclusive security talks April 4 and 11 in the presence of U.S. officials with the stated goal of ending bloody clashes that erupted in late September.

A third meeting had been slated for April 16, but was cancelled after Israel launched an offensive into land under Palestinian authority control. Palestinians had threatened not to take part in those meetings anymore.

On Saturday, the Israeli Foreign Minister, Mr. Shimon Peres, said he is engaged in ``discreet contacts'' with Palestinians aimed at bringing an end to violence, public radio said.

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