To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Greek Orthodox church agrees to Athens mosque
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Sun, 5 Sep 1999 08:18:11 +0000

From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>

Greek Orthodox church agrees to plans for Athens'
first mosque

Copyright 1999 by Agence France-Presse

ATHENS, Sept 3 (AFP) - The powerful Greek Orthodox Church has given
its agreement for the first mosque in Athens to be built in time for
the 2004 Olympics in the city, a source close to the church said
Friday.

The bishop of Zante has been charged by the Holy Synod, the church's
top officials, to handle discussions on the issue with the foreign
ministry before a final decision is made, the source said.

Church officials have proposed constructing a mosque, an Orthodox
church and a synagogue near the Olympic village which will be built in
Thrakomakenodes at the foot of Mount Parnis, some 30 kilometres (19
miles) north of Athens.

The Greek Orthodox church has enormous influence in the country and
had always blocked any initiative to construct a mosque in Athens,
angering Moslems who live in the capital, Palestinian immigrants and
Arab states.

The staging of the Olympics in the city has brought about a new sense
of compromise.

The only mosques in Greece are to be found in the northeast of the
country, home to most of the country's Moslem minority, and the
Dodecanese region in the southeast Aegean.

The Greek Orthodox church must give its permission for the
construction of any place of worship of another faith.

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - EU sending Arafat letter of guarantee for new accord
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Sun, 5 Sep 1999 08:29:02 +0000

From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>

EU sending Arafat letter of guarantee for new
accord: envoy

Copyright 1999 by Agence France-Presse

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt, Sept 5 (AFP) - The European Union will send
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat a letter guaranteeing some points in
the accord he signed here early Sunday with Israel, EU special envoy
Miguel Angel Moratinos said.

"The foreign ministers of the 15 (EU members) held a meeting in
Finland today and decided to give a letter of guarantee to Arafat on
several points in the accord, a revised version of last October's Wye
River Memorandum."

The letter, which will be sent Sunday, says "the EU undertakes to
facilitate the implementation of all the points of the accord."

The European body "supports the implementation of all the interim
accords signed independently of the final-status" agreement, which is
supposed to be wrapped up in a year.

The European Union also "backs the right to Palestinian
self-determination, including the right to a state, while asking the
parties to try to reach a negotiated solution," the letter said.

The letter "conforms to the language of the Berlin declaration," it
added.

The declaration, adopted by the European Union in March, called for
the option of a Palestinian state and the immediate implementation of
this right.

"The European Union asks the parties to avoid any unilateral act,
especially concerning (Jewish) settlements," the letter concluded.

Arafat and Barak signed the agreement in Sharm el-Sheikh shortly after
midnight. It was witnessed by US Secretary of State Madeleine
Albright, Jordan's King Abdullah II and Egypt's President Hosni
Mubarak.

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - EU launches aid projects in Syria
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Sun, 5 Sep 1999 08:29:02 +0000

From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>

European Union launches aid projects in Syria

Copyright 1999 by Agence France-Presse

DAMASCUS, Aug 24 (AFP) - The European Union announced Tuesday it was
launching three projects in Syria to support desert Bedouins and
Palestinian refugees.

The office of the EU delegation in Damascus said its humanitarian
office, ECHO, was setting up two mobile clinics providing basic health
care for the Bedouins. The project will cost 298,000 dollars, and will
be implemented by the Netherlands Red Cross in conjunction with the
Syrian Red Crescent society.

Syria has a Bedouin population of about 180,000.

Under the second project, worth 340,000 dollars, a rehabilitation
centre for the disabled will be established in the Palestinian refugee
camp in the central city of Hama, and an existing one improved in the
southern town of Deraa. It will be carried out by the Movimondo Molisv
organisation.

The third project is to establish a medical laboratory at the Damascus
Jafa Hospital of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society. The EU will
provide 410,000 dollars, and the project will be implemented by the
British charity Medical Aid for Palestinians.

ECHO has been in Syria since 1998, where it has set up a number of
health projects for the 370,000 or so Palestinian refugees in the
country.

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Germany seeks EU liquor warning
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Sun, 5 Sep 1999 08:30:54 +0000

From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>

Germany Seeks EU Liquor Warning

Copyright 1999 by The Associated Press

BERLIN (AP) -- Germany's health minister wants European Union
countries to require warnings on liquor bottles similar to those on
cigarette packs and advertisements, a newspaper reported Sunday.

Andrea Fischer plans to propose the measure to her colleagues from the
other 14 EU nations, Bild am Sonntag said.

The health warnings should be required at least for distilled spirits
and liqueurs, she was quoted as saying.

``We have to inform even more heavily about the dangers of drugs and
tobacco, but also alcohol,'' Fischer told the paper.

Germany's states wanted to introduce warnings for beer and wine in
1997, but the plan was scrapped after protests by the industry, the
report said.

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Egypt as broker of ME negotiations
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Sun, 5 Sep 1999 08:34:30 +0000

From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>

Ceremony marks Egypt's return as broker of Mideast
negotiations

Copyright 1999 by Agence France-Presse

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt, Sept 4 (AFP) - With Saturday's landmark
signing ceremony here, Egypt marks its return as a middleman for
Palestinian and Israeli negotiators after being sidelined while
Israel's former right-wing premier Benjamin Netanyahu was in power.

Since Prime Minister Ehud Barak took office in July, Egypt worked to
bridge the gap between the two sides over implementing the Wye River
accord, which Netanyahu signed in Washington last October but then
froze.

Egypt was the first foreign country Barak visited after entering
office, and Cairo gave him a warm welcome after years of tense
relations with Netanyahu.

An Arab diplomat who asked not to be named said the Egyptians had
convinced Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to renegotiate Wye, which
calls for further Israeli troop pullouts in return for Palestinian
security guarantees.

The culmination of Egypt's mediating efforts was being celebrated in
the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, which was once a battleground
before Egypt and Israel signed the first Arab-Israeli peace treaty in
1979.

The chief advisor to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Ossama al-Baz,
said Egypt had facilitated the accord.

Egypt's role with the Palestinians was to "reinforce them and reassure
them and help them make up their mind and draw upon our experience in
negotiations with Israel."

Egypt believes Barak can deliver on his pledges for peace partly
because, like his late mentor Yitzhak Rabin, Israelis do not question
his security credentials and they have given him a broad mandate for
peace, Baz said.

But it remains to be seen how Barak will handle his "awesome
responsibilities," he said in an interview with AFP in late July.

Cairo followed the revived peace talks very closely after Barak took
office and Mubarak sent Baz to Israel and the Palestinian territories
last week in a bid to give them a nudge.

Arafat has also made numerous visits here in recent months, and it was
while he was in Alexandria Friday that he announced the accord with
Israel.

A major US ally in the Middle East and the first Arab country to sign
a peace treaty with Israel, in 1979, Egypt hosted Israeli-Palestinian
negotiations on the Jericho-Gaza accord, signed in Cairo in May 1994.

Their interim accord was signed in Taba, Egypt, in 1995.

The Wye River Memorandum, concluded last October in the United States,
was the first Israeli-Palestinian agreement after 1993 not signed in
Egypt.

"For many years, Egypt has merited the world's admiration as an
unwavering and courageous champion of peace. This repuation has only
been enhanced by Egypt's strong supporting role in the negotiations
just completed," US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said at the
signing ceremony late Saturday.

Arafat also singled the Egyptian president out for thanks for his role
in bringing about the agreement.

"I would like to express our deep appreciation of the constructive
role that has been played by Egypt," he said.

The resumption of Egypt's role in the Israeli-Palestinian peace
process comes as the United States distances itself somewhat from the
negotiations, as demanded by Barak.

While visiting Washington in July, the Israeli prime minister had
called for the United States to play an auxiliary role and stop acting
as arbitrator, policeman and judge.

The negotiations on revising Wye took place without US Middle East
envoy Dennis Ross. Before Barak took office in July, Ross had
systematically intervened in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.

However, US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright did play a
last-minute role in the revised Wye accord, helping the two sides to
bridge their remaining differences.

But Egypt was able to use its good relations with the United States to
reassure the Palestinians, who had called for US intervention, that
the US role in the peace process will remain strong.

A US letter of guarantee to the Palestinian Authority will therefore
be attached to the text of the agreement signed at Sharm el-Sheikh,
Egyptian Foreign Minister Amr Mussa said.

The letter "had been proposed Thursday in Alexandria (Egypt) during
the latter stages of the negotiations. It had been examined by the US
secretary of state and was what removed the impediments," he added.

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Summit of the Peacemakers at the Red Sea
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Sun, 5 Sep 1999 10:08:21 +0000

From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>

Please note this summit was called "Summit of the Peacemakers"; that
Clinton signed an agreement with Israel; that it is on the "wrong"
side of the Red Sea near Mt. Sinai in the same resort where today's
latest agreement was signed; the date was about 3 1/2 years ago (the
summit was for only half a day I believe).--Moza

---------------------------

[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents]
From the 1996 Presidential Documents Online via GPO Access
[frwais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:pd18mr96_txt-16]

[Page 481-483]

Monday, March 18, 1996

Volume 32--Number 11
Pages 451-504

Week Ending Friday, March 15, 1996

Remarks at the Opening of the Summit of the Peacemakers in Sharm al-
Sheikh, Egypt

March 13, 1996

    Thank you very much, President Mubarak. Your Majesties, Your
Highnesses, heads of state, heads of government, Foreign Ministers,
and Mr. Secretary-General.

    I'd like to begin by thanking President Mubarak for his
extraordinary efforts in the last few days to convene this meeting, to
host us here, and to make us feel welcome. I thank President Yeltsin,
my distinguished cosponsor of the peace process, and all the rest of
you who have come so far on such short notice to this very important
meeting.

    From all around the world we have come to the Sinai to deliver one
simple, unified message: Peace will prevail. This summit is
unprecedented in the history of the Middle East. It would have been
inconceivable just a few short years ago. It stands as proof and
promise that this region has changed for good. Leaders from Israel and
the Arab world, from Europe, from Asia, from North America, 29 of us,
shoulder- to-shoulder, joined in support of peace. We have gathered
before to celebrate new milestones in our journey; today we join in
common defense

[[Page 482]]

against those who would turn us back. We are here because we know what
is at stake.

    In the 18 years since Egypt and Israel made a miracle at Camp
David, Israelis and Arabs have changed the course of history in their
lands. Step by step, courageously they have broken with the past,
laying down the arms of war and opening their arms to one another.
But with every milestone passed along the road of peace and progress,
the enemies of peacehave grown more desperate and more depraved. They
know they cannot compete in the marketplace of ideas; they know they
have nothing to offer but hardship and despair. And so they resort to
murderous attacks that are an affront to the civilized world and to
the moral precepts that lie at the core of the three faiths
represented here, as President Mubarak has so eloquently stated.

    In the busy streets of Jerusalem, Ashkelon, and Tel Aviv, suicide
bombers launched a wave of terror to kill as many Israelis as
possible-- ordinary men and women riding the bus to work, families
shopping for the holidays, innocent children in their Purim costumes,
murdered for the blood in their veins. Our hearts go out to the people
of Israel and to all the victims of these atrocities, which include
also Palestinians and Americans. Many of the nations here today have
experienced the nightmare of terror. Death does not discriminate among
the terrorists' victims. Over the last 2 weeks, as I have said, losses
were felt not only in Israeli but also in Palestinian, American, and
Moroccan homes.

    The hard-won achievements of the Palestinian people are under
direct assault. The merchants of terror would sell out their future
and trade theirdreams for despair. And Arab mothers and fathers who
seek a better life for their children understand the enemies of peace
have targeted them, as well.

    Let no one underestimate the significance of our gathering here
today. Today the wall of division we face is not really between Arab
and Israeli. It is instead between those who reach for a better
tomorrow and those who rail against it, between those who traffic in
hate and terror and those who work for peace.

    To the forces of hatred and violence I say, and let us all say,
you kill yourselves and others in the aim of killing peace, yet
today, as you see, peace survives. And peace will grow stronger. You
will not succeed. Your day has passed. You have plowed the fields of
hatred, but here we are coming to reap unity and new strength to
defeat you and to keep the promise and hope of peace alive.

    We who have gathered in Egypt today are committed to the search
for peace. Our very presence here underscores the depth of our
dedication. But words and symbols are not enough. The world looks to
us now for action, and we must direct our collective resolve in three
specific areas. First, we must be clear in our condemnation of those
who resort toterror. Violence has no place in the future we all seek
for the Middle East.

    Second, we must reinforce our common search for a comprehensive
peace. We must press forward until the circle of peace is closed. And
we must work to bring the benefits of peace to the daily lives of the
people here, for if people lose their hope in peace, the terrorists
will have succeeded. This would be the cruelest victory of all, and we
must not let it happen.

    Third, we must actively counter the terrorists with all the means
at our command, combining our efforts tangibly and joining our
strength to defeat their evil aims. Chairman Arafat and the
Palestinian Authority are responding to that challenge. Each of us
here must do our part to help them succeed in their mission. We know
we cannot guarantee 100 percent success, but all of us must demand of
each other and of ourselves 100 percent effort. The danger we face is
urgent, the challenge is clear, but the solidarity of the peacemakers
will conquer the forces of division if we will resolve to keep that
solidarity. We stand today as one not far from the mount where God
gave the word to Moses, the law of humanity, tolerance, and faith
that guides our way today. We are the heirs of that moral legacy
whether we be Muslim or Jew or Christian. From many lands and many
different traditions we come, today allspeaking the language of
peace.

    In the Bible we are told that when they were grown, Isaac,
the patriarch of the Jews,

[[Page 483]]

and Ishmael, the patriarch of the Arabs, met but once. They came
together at the death of Abraham, the father they shared, the father
of both peoples. Today, the descendants of Isaac and Ishmael have
joined together in a spirit of rebirth to secure the shared promise of
a life of peace for all the peoples of this region. Those of us who
come here today to stand with them must not allow the forces of the
past to deny them the future they seek, that we all seek.

    Let our charge go forth from the Sinai today. We will win the
 battle for peace.

    Thank you.

Note: The President spoke at 12:20 p.m. in the Orangerie Room at the
Movenpick Hotel. In his remarks, he referred to President Hosni
Mubarak of Egypt, United Nations Secretary-General Boutros
Boutros-Ghali, President Boris Yeltsin of Russia, and Chairman Yasser
Arafat of the Palestinian Authority. A tape was not available for
verification of the content of these remarks.

http://gpo.ucop.edu/cgi-
bin/gpogate?waisdoc=1&doctype=TEXT&docid=::::140998+6869+/diska/wais/d
ata/1996_preside
ntial_documents/pd18mr96.txt.wais&server=1996_presidential_documents/f
rwais.access.gpo.gov

------------------
March 9, 1996

World leaders line up with Clinton for 'Summit of Peacemakers'

By Terence Hunt / Associated Press

WASHINGTON -- In a dramatic stand against Middle East terrorism, world
leaders swiftly accepted invitations Friday to a U.S.sponsored
conference in Egypt that President Clinton proclaimed a "summit of the
peacemakers."

Russian President Boris Yeltsin, German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, French
President Jacques Chirac and Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien
were among 25 to 30 government leaders expected to join Clinton,
Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres and PLO chief Yasser Arafat at
Wednesday's meeting.

The summit, in the scuba-diving resort of Sharm el-Sheik, was called
to demonstrate support from Europe and the Arabs for Israel, badly
shaken by a wave of bombings that has killed 61 people since Feb. 25.

It also was intended to take the initiative from Islamic terrorists,
who have jeopardized the peace process, and give it back to
peacemakers.

The summit will "send a dramatic and powerful signal of opposition" to
the Islamic resistance movement Hamas, which claimed the Israeli
bombings, State Department spokesman Nick Burns said.

After the conference, Clinton goes to Jerusalem in a personal show of
solidarity with Israel. He is expected to make a speech in Jerusalem
and visit the grave of assassinated Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak
Rabin before returning to Washington on Thursday.

Israeli foreign minister Ehud Barak said the United States and Israel
will sign an agreement at the summit on cooperating against terrorism.

The Middle East peace process is particularly important to Clinton,
who has made it a showcase of his foreign policy. White House
officials believe Clinton's involvement bestows the mantle of
statesman and peacemaker for the coming presidential campaign season.

Moreover, the United States wants to give a boost to Peres, the
architect of Israel's peace policies, whose Labor government is
battling to hold power in May 29 elections.

The leaders of Russia, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Canada said
they would attend the summit, along with Peres and representatives of
some Persian Gulf and North African countries. Egyptian President
Hosni Mubarak will be the summit host and, with Clinton, its
co-sponsor.

"We expect that it will be a day of reaffirmation, both for the peace
process and for the need to do everything governments can do in the
international community to combat outlandish terrorism," White House
press secretary Mike McCurry said.

The message to Hamas, he said, is "they should know they are now
isolated in the international community."

Summit organizers raced against the clock to pin down a meeting site,
format and other details. It is expected that Clinton and Mubarak will
hold a news conference to close the summit, but other leaders also are
likely to want the spotlight. Clinton also is expected to hold
one-on-one meetings with some leaders at the summit site.

A White House advance team headed for Egypt late Friday.

Secretary of State Warren Christopher extended personal summit
invitations by telephone to Russian Foreign Minister Yevgeny Primakov,
Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa, chairman Yasser Arafat of
the Palestinian Authority and other foreign officials.

Arafat and Boris Yeltsin said they would attend. It was unclear
unclear whether a representative will come from Syria, branded by the
State Department as a sponsor of terrorism but negotiating peace terms
with Israel in recent months.

The conference puts Syria and several other states still at odds with
Israel on the spot. If they fail to attend, they distance themselves
from an international denunciation of terrorism. If they attend,
however, they will have to record their positions, and that makes some
of them uncomfortable.

At the State Department, Burns said the conference will look for
"tangible and practical steps" to counter terrorism. But he said he
did not know if specific measures would be approved.

The summit grew out of a search to salvage the peace process after
four bombings in Israel over a nine-day period caused support for it
among Israelis to plummet. Clinton and Peres discussed the summit idea
in a telephone conversation Monday, and Egypt and Jordan came up with
similar proposals almost simultaneously, officials said.

The idea picked up momentum Tuesday as Palestinian leader Arafat
called for a public show of support for peace. After U.S. contacts
with Egypt on Wednesday, Clinton called Peres and confirmed he wanted
to go forward with the idea.

The president discussed the summit Thursday in Washington with
Jordan's King Hussein, who endorsed it, and then with Egypt's Mubarak,
who welcomed the chance to be the host.

The summit was officially announced Friday from Air Force One as
Clinton flew to California for weekend appearances.

Copyright 1996, The Detroit News

http://www.detnews.com/menu/stories/39169.htm

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Arutz-7 News (9/5/99)
From: bpr-list@philologos.org(BPR)
Date: Sun, 5 Sep 1999 18:24:50 +0000

From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>

GOV'T RATIFIES AGREEMENT; Y. LEVY AND SHARANSKY VOTE AGAINST

The government met for about eight hours today to discuss and
approve the Sharm a-Sheikh agreement signed last night between
the Israelis and the Palestinians. Only two ministers voted
against: Natan Sharansky (Yisrael B'Aliyah) and Rabbi Yitzchak
Levy (National Religious Party). The Knesset is scheduled to
ratify the accord this Wednesday.

Yasser Arafat plans to declare an independent Palestinian state
in the course of the year 2000, whether or not he reaches an
agreement with Israel on this point. He said that the Americans
promised to support this step. He made the remarks in Rome
today, following the signing last night of the agreement on the
implementation of the Wye Accords. Prime Minister Ehud Barak
said at the signing ceremony last night, "The nations of the
Middle East are awaiting the rise of a new dawn, that will bring
with it a new era. I believe in a vision of peace and security
that will guarantee the needs of all the nations in the region."

Reactions to the Sharm a-Sheikh agreement: MK Rabbi Chaim
Druckman (NRP): "This is a sad day. The Palestinians are
progressing steadily towards their goal of an independent state
with its capital in Jerusalem, as Arafat himself announced last
night, and we continue to retreat and give in. It seems that
we've forgotten that we are talking about our own homeland, and
yet despite this, we keep giving it away without getting
anything in return. The absurdity is simply outrageous: the
Palestinians today expressed disappointment with the agreement,
while our government professes to be happy. This is simply
Chelm - to give up on land, while the other side isn't keeping
promises that it made long ago!"

"Catastrophic, terrible." - MK Moshe Katzav (Likud), adding
that this is the sixth time Arafat has promised a total of four
Israeli Prime Ministers the same things.

"This agreement shows that behind Barak's guise of a tough
statesman, is nothing more than a weak politician who cannot
withstand pressure," said MK Uzi Landau (Likud) Asked if the
Likud could really afford to criticize Barak for signing an
agreement based on the Netanyahu-signed Wye accord, Landau said,
"First of all, it's time that the Likud admits that Wye was a
bad thing. Secondly, no matter how bad Wye was, this new
agreement is even worse."

"Barak missed an opportunity to free Israel from the path of
Oslo, and did not remove the dangers inherent in the Wye
Agreement about which he himself warned." - The Yesha Council

"This is an important agreement. It's for things like this
that we are part of the government." - Minister Yossi Sarid
(Meretz)

200 PRISONERS TO BE RELEASED

A list of 200 terrorist-prisoners to be released as early as
next week has already begun to be prepared. For the first time,
representatives of the Palestinian Authority will be members of
the committee that will determine the prisoners to be freed. A
second group, of 150 terrorists, will be released on October 8 -
Palestinian "Prisoner Day." Hamas and Islamic Jihad members
will not be freed, nor will be those who committed their crimes
after the signing of the original Oslo agreement in September
1993.

Dov Kalmanovitch, the first Jew injured in the intifada - he
still bears the scars of the burns over 75% of his body - has
been active against the freeing of Palestinian terrorists. With
bitterness in his voice, he told Arutz-7's Haggai Seri today,
"The red lines have been crossed, and I can promise you one
thing: Not one Arab terrorist, not even the most cruel murderer
of Jews, will remain in Israeli prison after the final status
agreement. There is a minister in the government who is working
very strongly in order that this will happen, the precedents
have already been set, and the Palestinian Authority will simply
not give in until every prisoner is out."

PA TO CONTROL 40% OF YESHA

The first withdrawal of the Sharm agreement is scheduled for
Wednesday, Sept. 15. It will involve the transfer of 7% of Area
C (full Israeli control) to B (Palestinian administrative
control). According to the original Wye Agreement, only 5% was
to be transferred at this stage. Most of the area will be in
the Binyamin-Ramallah area, although final maps have not yet
been drawn. The next stage calls for the transfer of 3% from C
to B, and 2% from B to A (full Palestinian control). In the
third stage, scheduled for Jan. 20, 2000, Israel is to transfer
1% of C to A, and 5.1% from B to A.

In total, another 8.1% of Israeli territory will come under
total Palestinian control, and another 2.9% will come under
Palestinian civil control. This will bring the total of
Palestinian-controlled Yesha to 40 % - 18% in A, and 22% in B.
There then remains the third Oslo withdrawal - the extent of
which has not yet been determined -and then the final-status
agreement; the two may be merged.

In addition to the percentages, the location of the land to be
transferred to the PA represents another problem for Israel,
noted Arutz-7 correspondent Haggai Huberman: "Barak has totally
eliminated Netanyahu's idea of 'nature reserves' in the Judean
desert - in which the Palestinians would have civil
jurisdiction, but no rights to build - which in effect would
have limited the true scope of the withdrawal to merely 10% and
not 13%. In the 'new Wye,' Arafat will be handed the entire 13%
(2% under Netanyahu, 11% under the new agreement) with full
building rights. What's worse, the land will be derived
completely from the Samarian mountain plateau. The additional
3% represents no less than 150 square kilometers, a concession
that will necessarily have a serious impact on access by road to
the Yesha communities, especially on Route #60."

WYE-SHARM COMPARISON

Prime Minister Barak's claim last night that the Sharm
agreement is "an improved Wye accord" raises the question,
"Improved from whose standpoint - Israel or the Palestinians?"
So explained Arutz-7's Haggai Huberman today, lamenting, "As one
who is very familiar with Wye, and who read yesterday's
agreement from beginning to end, I have a hard time finding any
improvements. Just the opposite: the new deal has many aspects
that are much worse for Israel than even Wye was."

Huberman said that originally, Barak said to Arafat, "'Let's
make a deal that will be beneficial to both of us: You waive the
third Wye withdrawal for now, and we'll link it to the final-
status negotiations. In exchange for that, I'll give you a
basket of goodies, such as the Gaza seaport, the free passage
from Gaza to Hevron and Ramallah, and more. ' Arafat responded
with a resounding No! to the first part, but Barak still gave
him the whole package of goodies!"

Huberman enumerated several faults with the new agreement, from
Israel's point of view: "The third Israeli withdrawal is not at
all linked to progress in the final-status talks. The agreement
merely states that the two sides will 'make every effort' to
come to a final-status framework. In fact, an accompanying
letter of guarantees delivered by Secretary of State Albright to
Yasser Arafat states that there will be no tie-in between the
third withdrawal and 'various problems that may arise in final-
status negotiations.'" [Ed. note: Israeli negotiator Gilad Sher
stated today that Albright's letter contained only general
declarations, but no guarantees or promises.]

"The original Wye withdrawals," continued Huberman, "were
tightly linked to Palestinian fulfillment of their commitments.
This was summed up at the time by Netanyahu's pithy phrase, 'If
they give, they'll get; if they don't give, they won't get.'
This element of reciprocity is lost in the new agreement. Barak
succeeded only in spreading out two Wye withdrawals that were to
have taken two months -if the Palestinians carried out their
side - and divided them into three stages over five months, with
no clear mention of reciprocity."

Huberman noted that various dates are mentioned in the new
agreement -on September 13, for instance, the Palestinians must
present a list of their policemen to Israel, and on October 15
they must report on weapons collection and on arrested terrorist
suspects - but no clause states that withdrawals are dependent
on the fulfillment of the obligations in question. "By October
15, the Palestinians will have already received another 7%," he
said.

According to Huberman, Prime Minister Barak is proud of
achieving a Palestinian agreement to work towards the signing of
a final-status deal by September of next year. "Until then,
Arafat has consented not to unilaterally declare a Palestinian
state. But even this is not a serious accomplishment, because
if Israel and the PA don't reach a deal by the target date,
Arafat is permitted to nevertheless declare his state, with all
the territory that he will then control."

Huberman continued to list problems with the agreement from an
Israeli point of view:

* Israel's parallel promise not to take any unilateral steps.
This means almost a complete freeze on construction in Yesha
communities, as well as anend to land expropriation in the area,
which in turn means that new by-pass roads for Yesha residents
will not be able to be paved. Israel can't build, but when
Palestinians build illegally -even in Israeli territory - Israel
cannot demolish the illegal structures.

* A date has been set for the beginning of construction on the
Gaza seaport - Oct. 1 - even though the necessary security
arrangements have not yet been formulated.

* Similarly, dates have been set for the opening of the "Free
Passage" routes - Oct. 1 from Gaza to Ramallah, and Feb. 5,
2000 for the northernroute - even though here, too, the
necessary security arrangements have not yet been formulated.

* In Hevron, Barak has already partially opened the Shuhada
road in Hevron, and agreed to complete the process on Oct. 30 -
even though the Wye Agreement made this contingent upon
"normalization" of relations between the Arab and Jewish
residents there, which has not occurred. He also has committed
himself to examine the possibility of permitting PA security
forces into the Muslim section of the Cave of the Patriarchs.

Arutz Sheva News Service <http://www.a7.org>
Sunday, September 5, 1999 / Elul 24, 5759