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Blanchard

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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