PLO, Israel Acknowledge They Won’t Reach Pact by July 25

PLO chief negotiator Ahmed Korei said Saturday that a Tuesday signing deadline of a deal with Israel on expanding Palestinian self-rule in the West Bank would be missed.

“We will resume talks tomorrow at a Dead Sea resort. . . . After one week, we will assess the results,” Korei said. “We are so far from [meeting] the July 25 date. We still need more time to conclude the accord.”

Israeli officials warned that a window of opportunity might be missed if a deal was not concluded by month’s end.

Israeli Environment Minister Yossi Sarid told Israel’s army radio: “I do not believe it’s possible to sign on the 25th. . . . I hope [it will be signed] at the end of this week, because if it is not signed, I’m afraid the list of problems will only lengthen.”

Korei said: “If the intentions are good, I believe we can bridge some of the basic gaps, and if we do next week, we will be able to conclude an agreement.”

Later, Palestine Liberation Organization Chairman Yasser Arafat said: “The gap is still wide.”

Asked about the July 25 deadline, he said: “We hope they will be committed to what has been agreed.”

The second stage of the 1993 PLO-Israel peace deal--Israeli troop redeployment away from West Bank Arab population centers and Palestinian elections--is a year behind schedule.

After weeklong talks in Zichron Yaacov adjourned Friday, Korei said “crucial” gaps on water, troop redeployment, and security arrangements remained.