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Tuesday, April 5, 1994
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Palestinians remain wary as Israeli army pulls out
The Associated Press
DEIR EL BALAH, Occupied Gaza Strip — Yesterday was moving day for the Israeli army at its Gaza Strip headquarters.
Soldiers took farewell photographs and loaded cabinets, desks and a still-cold refrigerator onto a trailer in the courtyard.
But even as they packed things up, soldiers had to dodge stones hurled at them by young Palestinians.
After 27 years of occupation, changes demanded by Palestinian leaders finally are starting to take shape, not only here but at other sites in the Gaza Strip and West Bank town of Jericho.
But for young militants, in particular, dismantling bases is too little to be convincing. Soldiers still patrol the streets, and Palestinians remain wary of Israel's intentions, especially because the army is building new outposts to guard Jewish settlements that will not be uprooted.
So even though the moving was a visible sign of Israel's intent to leave, Palestinian youths with slingshots lobbed stones that bounced off olive drab jeeps. Troops gave chase, firing plastic bullets and tear gas, wounding two Arabs.
"We don't want peace. There will be stones every day." shouted the youths, many aligned with the Islamic fundamentalist Hamas group that opposes the Israel-PLO peacemaking.
Some soldiers appeared bewildered about why the
Palestinians were throwing stones while they were pulling up stakes. "They don't want us to leave?" asked one.
Confusion prevailed in the streets, as well. Soldiers kept loading the trailer during the melee. Women walked through Israeli lines carrying bundles of wash, and a Muslim fundamentalist dressed in white with a black beard bicycle unnoticed between the soldiers while they knelt to shoot at rioters 50 vards away.
Maj. Udi, a military commander in Deir el Balah, said his unit was being moved to guard Gush Katif in Gaza, where more than 4,000 Jewish settlers live.
Udi said that even though the army was still in full control, his soldiers had orders not to patrol in the nearby Palestinian refugee camps of Bureij, Nuseirat and Mughazi unless absolutely necessary.
"We are not going in because we know the sensitivity of conducting patrols inside the camps," said Udi, identified only by his first name according to army regulations. "We are in a period of transition, and we are trying to avoid confrontation."
Israel and the PLO resumed accelerated talks in Cairo yesterday. Chief PLO negotiator Nail Sahil said he expected agreement soon on the size and timetable of the Palestinian force police to patrol the autonomous areas.
But a trip expected yesterday by senior officers to inspect Gaza facilities was postponed. About 300 police are due to be sent in the autonomy areas by Thursday for administrative purposes. Up to 50 deportees, including some top Arafat aides, are due to cross into the occupied areas from Jordan and Egypt starting today.
Russian troops denied U.N. status
Standing was sought in former republics The Associated Press
MOSCOW — U.N. Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali refused yesterday to give Russian troops in former Soviet republics the status of U.N. peacekeepers.
Boutros-Ghali said his talks with President Boris Yeltsin had been "very constructive, very positive." He praised Russia's help in the international effort to end hostilities in the former Yugoslavia, especially diplomatic efforts that eased the siege of Sarajevo last month.
But he was adamant in refusing to consider giving Russian troops the status of U.N. peacekeepers in wartorn former Soviet republics such as Georgia and Tajikistan.
"We have no objection, and we welcome that Russian troops participate in multinational forces, but the whole operation will be under the control of
the United Nations," he said at a news conference.
Russia wanted its troops to have the status of U.N. "blue helmets" but to remain under Moscow's command.
Russian troops have been accused of failing to act impartially in some conflicts in the former Soviet Union, and U.N. status would help bolster their standing. Cash-strapped Russia also wants U.N. money to help cover the cost of stationing troops in far-flung regions.
Under U.N. rules, peacekeeping operations are undertaken by multinational forces, and the troops are under U.N. command.
Boutros-Ghali said Russia could contribute troops to U.N.-led peacekeeping operations in the former Soviet Union or continue its own peacekeeping efforts alongside an independent U.N. force or U.N. observers.
A statement by Yeltsin's press service said he had emphasized Russia's willingness to cooperate with the United Nations in hot spots in the former Soviet Union.
Boutros-Ghali also met with Foreign Minister Andrei Kozyrev, Defense Minister Pavel Grachev and other top Russian officials during a five-day visit to Moscow.
Yesterday, the U.N. leader attended the signing of peace agreements between Georgia and the breakaway province of Abkhazia.
The agreements call for a cease-fire and the return of refugees to Abkhazia, which broke away from Georgia in fighting last year that killed more than 3,000 people. About 200,000 ethnic Georgians fled the Black Sea province.
According to the agreements, Georgians who fought against Abkhazia will not be allowed to return to the province. Georgian leader Eduard Shevardnadze accepted that clause reluctantly, saying in a radio interview that "it will cause quite a stir" in his country.
Several previous cease-fire and refugee agreements have failed to hold.
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