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Clinton renews peace push to stop Sharon coalition

SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Friday, October 27, 2000

WASHINGTON — U.S. President Bill Clinton plans to launch another peace offensive in a drive to stop Prime Minister Ehud Barak from forming a government with his right-wing opposition.

Clinton has summoned Barak and Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat for separate talks in Washington after the Nov. 7 presidential elections. Neither has responded but both Arafat and Barak are expected to agree to meetings in the White House.

U.S. officials said Clinton has been dismayed by Barak's wooing of the opposition Likud, led by Ariel Sharon, Middle East Newsline reported. They said Clinton blames Sharon for sparking the Palestinian violence and believes that a government with the Likud leader will end the peace process. Clinton is also said to believe that a government with Sharon will push Barak to implement his plans for a military offensive against the PA.

"Publicly, the White House insists this is an Israeli domestic affair," a U.S. official said. "But privately, Clinton and his aides are upset that Barak has reversed his positions and now wants Sharon."

The officials said Barak has quietly resisted a meeting with Clinton. They said Barak told Clinton that any further talks with Arafat would be pointless as long as he continues attacks and rejects a U.S. compromise proposal on a final status agreement. Instead, Barak has urged Clinton to allow Israel to launch a military offensive to stop the violence.

But Barak will not reject a meeting, the officials said. They said Barak wants Clinton to approve an Israeli request of $800 million for its military needs. Clinton has until Friday to issue such a request from Congress, which will then recess for the elections.

Next week, Israeli Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami holds talks with White House officials.

On Thursday, the London-based Al Hayat reported that Clinton blocked plans by Barak to launch a military offensive against Lebanon and Syria in the wake of the Hizbullah abduction of three Israeli soldiers along the northern border on Oct. 6. The newspaper quoted Jordanian sources as expressing concern over Israeli intentions to spark a war with its Arab neighbors.

The U.S. president has agreed that his proposal to renew peace talks cannot be implemented as long as the violence continues. Clinton said Arafat could do more to stop the fighting, but he stressed that he was not blaming the PA leader for the current violence.

"I do think that Chairman Arafat can dramatically reduce the level of violence," Clinton said.

On Capitol Hill, the House of Representatives passed by a vote of 365-30 a resolution that blamed the PA for the violence. The resolution "condemns the Palestinian leadership for encouraging the violence and doing so little for so long to stop it, resulting in the senseless loss of life."

At the same time, Congress passed a $14.9 billion foreign aid bill that included $3.54 billion in U.S. military aid for Egypt and Israel. Israel received $1.98 billion and Egypt $1.3 billion.

Palestinian sources said Arafat has been urged by members of his Fatah movement not to fly to Washington unless Clinton is willing to deal with Palestinian concerns. They said Arafat has told Clinton that the time is not right for a visit to the United States amid the current violence.

"In principle, we have no problem with meeting President Bill Clinton," PA Parliamentary Affairs Minister Nabil Amr said. "The problem lies in seriously preparing for such a meeting while we are still facing the Israeli military in the same locations and with the same intensity since the aggression on the Palestinian people was initiated."

Friday, October 27, 2000


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