Collaborators blamed for TV chief murder

Mr Mekki was gunned down as he left the Beach Hotel

The Palestinian Authority has accused collaborators of being behind the assassination of the Palestinian media official, Hisham Mekki, on Wednesday.

Its statement came as high-level peace talks between Israeli and Palestinian officials continued, but with no indications of progress.

Shlomo Ben Ami and Yasser Arafat: No breakthrough in talks

"The Palestinian people and the Palestinian leadership announce the martyrdom of Hisham Mekki, who was assassinated by bullets of betrayal and collaboration," said a statement signed by the Palestinian leadership.

Palestinians generally label as collaborators other Palestinians who supply information to Israel.

Three masked gunmen assassinated Mr Mekki, the general co-ordinator of the official Palestinian radio and television stations, as he was walking out of the Beach Hotel in the centre of Gaza City.

Witnesses said two gunmen wearing masks entered the hotel's lobby restaurant and fired at Mr Mekki, 54, at close range with pistols fitted with silencers.

Dead on arrival

They said that one of the killers shot him in the head, while the other aimed at his heart.

Mr Mekki: Killers are being hunted

The pair then escaped in a car waiting outside the hotel gate and driven by a third man, they said.

A spokesman for Gaza City's Shifa hospital said that Mr Mekki was dead on arrival.

More than 200 people, including Mr Mekki's friends and Palestinian Authority officials, gathered in the area after news of the attack spread.

Killers hunted

According to the Palestinian authority statement, "the security services are now hunting the criminal collaborators who committed this cowardly attack."

Onlookers gathered at the hospital to view Mr Mekki's body

While no one has yet claimed responsibility for the killing, suspicion has fallen on the Israeli authorities.

The Israeli army stood accused last week of assassinating scores of Palestinians, in an effort to halt the current violence in the country.

Israel has said it will continue to carry out these pinpoint attacks against Palestinians whom it suspects of orchestrating anti-Israeli attacks.

Denial

But the Israeli army has denied any responsibility for Wednesday's assassination.

"The Israeli army and the Israeli security services had no involvement with this event," a statement issued by the army said.

The Israelis had recently revoked Mr Mekki's VIP card, which allowed him to travel into Israel despite a military blockade of the Palestinian territories.

Peace talks

Peace talks continued with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat meeting Israeli Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben Ami in Cairo - but there were no signs of significant progress.

A spokesman for the Israeli embassy in Cairo said merely that "they agreed they should continue the negotiations", adding that no date for further talks had been announced.

Egyptian television quoted an unidentified Palestinian official as saying no progress had been made during the talks.

The meeting had been arranged at the last minute during talks between Mr Ben Ami and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

Hopes are dwindling that the two sides will sign up to US peace proposals before President Clinton leaves office on 20 January.