1. PLO CHIEF: REFERENDUM ON FINAL STATUS…There will be a referendum on any final-status agreement with Israel, according to the favorite to win the race for the chairmanship of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud ‘Abbas. ‘Abbas, the current head of the Palestine Liberation Organization, made the comment during a visit to Qatar, on the latest leg of his region-wide tour. ‘Abbas is attempting to mend bridges with the leaders of several nations who had effectively cut off relations with the Palestinian Authority because of some of the actions and speeches of its former head, Yassir Arafat.
2. IDF RETURNS TO KHAN YOUNIS…Israeli soldiers moved into the Khan Younis area of Gaza overnight for the second time in a week. Palestinian eyewitnesses say several Palestinians have been killed during the incursion. Israeli officers maintain the dead were all armed men. The Israel Defense Forces says it launched the operation as part of its ongoing bid to prevent the firing of mortars and Qassam rockets at Israeli targets. Israel says 50 mortars have landed on Israeli targets over the last seven days, killing one Thai national and injuring 16 Israelis, 15 of whom were soldiers.
3. IRAN: NUCLEAR TALKS WILL CONTINUE…Iran maintains it is serious in its desire to continue negotiations with the West over its uranium-enrichment program. In recent weeks Tehran promised a team from Germany, the UK and France that it would halt the program. As a result, the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency agreed not to pass the issue on to the U.N. Security Council and, therefore, Iran avoided possible sanctions. However, the United States remains skeptical about Tehran’s sincerity in saying that it has ceased the program for the time being. On Thursday, a senior Iranian spokesman said the West is constantly conspiring against Iran and using the nuclear card as another excuse for continuing the attacks.