Barak, Arafat Meet To Build Trust

In a secret late-night meeting, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat took peace talks into their own hands and reaffirmed a pledge to reach a final deal within a year, officials said in Jerusalem. Barak invited Arafat to the 90-minute meeting at an undisclosed Israeli site in the hope of building trust, said Israeli Arab legislator Ahmed Tibi, a former Arafat advisor who met with the Palestinian leader Friday. Meanwhile, White House Press Secretary Joe Lockhart said that President Clinton will meet Arafat in Washington on Thursday.