While in Paris, Prime Minister Rabin and Foreign Minister Peres held discussions with Chairman Arafat. On the agenda were the next phases in the Israel- Palestinian peace process. Progress was reviewed and new schedules were agreed upon for negotiations on Early Empowerment. Israel demanded that offensive paragraphs of the 1964 Palestinian National Covenant be changed. Arafat stated that this will be done at the next meeting of the Palestinian National Congress. Text of the joint statement follows:
On the occasion of their visit to Paris, during which Chairman Arafat, Prime Minister Rabin and Foreign Minister Peres were awarded the Houphouet-Boigny Peace Prize, Israeli and Palestinian delegations met and agreed on the following:
1 . The Israeli and Palestinian delegations express their satisfaction with the ongoing implementation of the first stage of the DOP.
2. The two Delegations agree that negotiations concerning the second stage of the DOP will commence in Cairo next week, on Monday July 11.
3. This next stage will be carried out through the convening of two joint working groups.
4. The first working group shall deal with all outstanding issues in the Cairo Agreement of May 4, 1994 (such as the negotiations concerning the release of additional prisoners pursuant to Article XX of the Cairo Agreement, and the temporary international presence pursuant to Article XXI of the Agreement).
5. The second working group shall deal with Early Empowerment in the rest of the West Bank, related financial matters and elections.
6. The two delegations have agreed to contact the governments of Egypt and Jordan regarding their participation at a high level in the continuing committee to be established pursuant to Article XVI of the Cairo Agreement.
7. The Palestinian delegation has asked that Israel consider the release of imprisoned women and special cases. The Israeli delegation has responded that it will consider their request seriously.
8. The chairman of the PLO has stated that he intends to convene the PNC in Gaza in the very near future in order to, inter alia, submit for formal approval the necessary changes in regard to the Palestinian Covenant as undertaken in his letter dated May 4, 1994 addressed to the Prime Minister of Israel.