Arafat Seeks Security Pact, Says Weizman

On the eve of a new attempt by the American mediator to get Israelis and Palestinians talking again, Israeli President Ezer Weizman met with Yasser Arafat and said the Palestinian leader had agreed to revive security cooperation with Israel.

But Palestinian officials said nothing had been resolved at the meeting and that Arafat had agreed to security meetings only if American representatives were present.

The meeting was intended, Weizman said, only to “break the ice,” and he stressed he was not seeking to take Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s place.