Clinton failed to seek Arab backing for Arafat
SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Monday, July 31, 2000
WASHINGTON -- The United States is urging Egypt and Saudi Arabia to
encourage Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat to sign a final
status deal with Israel.
U.S. officials acknowledge that President Bill Clinton did not contact
Egypt and Saudi Arabia before the Camp David summit earlier this month, Middle East Newsline reports.
This, they said, left the two countries in the dark until Arafat was asked
to decide on an agreement for the future of Jerusalem and the fate of
Palestinian refugees.
"I hope that over the next several weeks, the other Arab countries
will work with Chairman Arafat and recognize that the choice here is
confrontation or agreement, and support him in reaching an agreement that
involves compromise based on principle," National Security Adviser Samuel
Berger said.
U.S. officials said Assistant Secretary of State Edward Walker will tour
Arab capitals this week to win support for any Israeli-Palestinian
agreement. They said Walker will stress the need for Palestinian flexibility
on Jerusalem and the demand for a return of Palestinian refugees.
Berger said he did not expect the Arabs to press Arafat to concede on
Jerusalem. "But we would hope that the other Arab countries would express
very clearly to Arafat their support for an honorable agreement," he said.
"I think that all of the Arab countries, including our friends the
Egyptians, have to face reality here," Berger said. "This problem is not
going away. One possibility is not simply continuing along the status quo. There
is no status quo in the Middle East."
U.S. officials said Arafat was alarmed by the lack of Egyptian and Saudi
support during the Camp David summit. The officials said the goal is to
obtain pledges that Cairo and Riyad will support an agreement signed by
Arafat during the next summit planned for early September.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak plans to discuss a prospective
Israeli-Palestinian agreement this week with the leaders of Jordan
and Syria. A visit by Bahrain's crown prince set for Monday was cancelled.
Egypt Foreign Minister Amr Mussa said Mubarak intends to convene
an Arab summit on Sept. 13 and recognize the declaration of any Palestinian
state.
"Arab and Islamic coordination is needed now more than at any other time
to develop a united position on the various solutions introduced for the
Jerusalem issue at Camp David," the Egyptian government Al Ahram daily said.
"A position developed, it would be easy to determine what steps are likely
to change Israel's hardline stance. Only then could hope be revived of a
final settlement for the Palestinian question."
Monday, July 31, 2000
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