News In Brief

Rebels close in on Arafat, then call halt to fighting

After advancing to within 600 yards of PLO chairman Yasser Arafat's Tripoli headquarters, Palestinian rebels Monday said they had stopped fighting and would not open fire again unless provoked.

Meanwhile, two Palestinian groups submitted proposals to the fighting factions for ending the infighting and called for the withdrawal of Palestinian guerrillas from the port city. There was no immediate reaction to the peace proposals.