MIDEAST BREAKTHROUGH : Remaining Issues

Israeli and PLO negotiators set aside three issues for further talks after the signing of an accord for limited Palestinian self-rule:

PRISONERS: Israel has agreed to free 5,000 of the estimated 8,400 Palestinians it holds in three to four weeks. But Israel has refused to release members of the extremist Hamas movement or Palestinians convicted of killing Israelis. A compromise could permit release of some prisoners who sign a pledge of support for the peace accord.

SIZE OF JERICHO: An impasse on Jericho was broken in talks early Wednesday when Israel increased the size of the autonomous Jericho area from 54 square kilometers (21.5 square miles) to 62 square kilometers (25 square miles). The PLO wants even more and is not fully satisfied with the configuration of the autonomous area in Gaza, which excludes Jewish settlements.

ALLENBY BRIDGE: The PLO had sought to post a uniformed Palestinian guard on the bridge linking the West Bank to Jordan. Palestinians want the post as a symbol of their authority, but Israel says it would conflict with its retention of responsibility for external security. Israel also has rejected the PLO demand for a uniformed Palestinian police presence at the Rafah crossing to Egypt.