ISRAEL DOES NOT INTEND TO RETURN TO TERRITORIES UNDER PALESTINIAN CONTROL








TEL AVIV, March 11. /From RIA Novosti correspondent Andrei Pravov/. Israel does not intend to return to the territories which are controlled by the Palestinians, as well as to fence off from them, new Prime-Minister of Israel Ariel Sharon has stated.


	According to him, the idea of unilateral separation from the territories of the Palestinian Authority is "simply unreal", since the stretch of this border is more than 700 kilometres and it would be extremely difficult to guard it. Former Prime-Minister Ehud Barak proposed building an "electronic fence" between the Palestinian territories and Israel.


	Separation of the two peoples is possible only on the basis of bilateral agreements, Ariel Sharon noted. He also stated an intention to wage uncompromising struggle with the Palestinian terrorist organisations.


	The situation in the Palestinian Authority territories is remaining tense. The exchanges of fire between the Palestinians and the Israeli soldiers on the West Bank of the Jordan and in the Gaza Strip continued last night.