To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Secret talks strive for second summit
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Sun, 6 Aug 2000 11:32:24 -0400

 Sunday, August 6, 2000

Secret talks strive for second summit

Ross due here this month; Berger may follow

By Amnon Barzilai, Danny Rubinstein and Daniel Sobelman Ha'aretz
Correspondents and AP

Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat has written to President Clinton complaining
about leaks from the Camp David summit, and Palestinian officials have
promised that secret negotiations now underway with Israeli officials would
be formalized in a lead up to a second summit.

In recent messages to Prime Minister Ehud Barak, President Bill Clinton
indicated his willingness to sponsor a second summit with a clearly-defined
time frame, provided that the parties submit, ahead of time, a clear outline of
principles that would lead to an agreement.

Israeli officials believe that U.S. National Security Advisor Sandy Berger and
possibly Secretary of State Madeleine Albright could visit the area in
connection with the planned visit by American negotiator Dennis Ross later
this month. Former U.S. ambassador to Israel Ned Walker, now serving as
Under-secretarty of State for Near East Affairs, is meanwhile on a 14-state
swing through the Arab world meeting with leaders to win their support for a
peace deal. Yesterday he was in Tunisia.

Israeli and U.S. officials believe that time is running out on holding another
conference due to Clinton's commitments to help Vice President Al Gore in
his bid for the presidency, Barak's loss of his Knesset coalition and the
Palestinians' target date, September 13, for declaring an independent state.

Secret talks between Justice Minister Yossi Beilin, Deputy Defense Minister
Ephraim Sneh, Public Security Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami, Minister Haim
Ramon and other Israelis - including businessman Yossi Ginossar - and
Palestinian Authority officials took place last week in an effort to renew
negotiations toward a permanent agreement between Israel and the
Palestinians.

Sneh met in Gaza with Arafat's bureau chief, Tayeb Abd al-Rahim, while
Beilin met with at least one other close associate of Arafat for informal talks.
After his talks, Beilin said that great progress was made at Camp David and
he was hopeful about the chances for signing a final status agreement.

The secret talks have two main objectives: to prevent a break in
communications in the wake of Camp David and to gather information to help
Israel develop its starting positions before the renewal of final status talks.

Israeli officials are encouraged by the Palestinian willingness to continue the
talks. They view the understandings reached with the Palestinians over
security issues and borders as great progress. The same is true for the
Palestinian willingness to recognize Israeli sovereignty in West Jerusalem
and Israeli willingness to recognize the northern and eastern villages of the
capital ("fringe neighborhoods") as areas that will come under Palestinian
sovereignty.

The two outstanding issues that remain problematic are the status of
Jerusalem, in particular the question of sovereignty over the Temple Mount,
and the right of return for Palestinian refugees.

During last week's talks, the Israelis were surprised by the inability of one of
the senior members of the Palestinian delegation to Camp David to
comprehend the importance of the Temple Mount to Israelis. "The Western
Wall is yours and Haram al Sharif [the Temple Mount] is ours - stop with
your nonsense," said the official.

Israel is following, with great interest, Arafat's visits to the Muslim world,
which yesterday took him to Turkey, to enlist support for his views on these
issues. Arafat met with Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer and Prime
Minister Bulent Ecevit during his visit to Ankara.

After the meeting, Ecevit said the issue of a Palestinian state has already
been settled as far as Turkey was concerned. "We have already recognized
the Palestinians' right to a state," he said. "As long as the peace process
continues, we will do all we can to help to find a solution."

The starting point, as seen by both Israel and the Palestinians, is that both
Barak and Arafat want a second summit to reach a final agreement. The
Palestinians said during last week's behind-the-scenes talks that Arafat
understands that despite his public statements, he has a window of
opportunity that must not be missed.

Arafat repeated his commitment to the peace process in Friday's message
to Clinton. The PA chairman said he is willing to create working groups
immediately and to accelerate the quiet talks in a more organized
format.See Focus, Page 2Barak's main problem, say sources close to the
prime minister, is the coalition crisis and the collapse of his government. At
present, Barak has the support of only 30 Knesset members (from One
Israel and the Center Party).

One result of this is the loss of the majority in the Knesset House
Committee, which is headed by Salah Tarif MK (One Israel). Members of the
committee are likely to convene during the Knesset summer recess in order
to call for a special Knesset session aimed at accelerating the process of
determining early elections. For this reason, Barak has been spending most
of his time creating a new coalition.

Barak's interest in the secret talks is to determine which way he'll go when
putting together a new coalition. If the talks are unlikely to yield an
agreement, he may seek a coalition with the Likud. But if there is progress
to a deal, he would probably call for elections in which he would campaign on
a pro-treaty platform.

The White House has indicated that Clinton is ready for a second summit, of
five or six days at the most, on condition that it ends with an agreement. At
first, the target date was set for September 13, to coincide with Arafat's
deadline for declaring a Palestinian state, but Clinton has now set a closer
date - after the Labor Day holiday in the first week of September and before
he begins campaigning in earnest on behalf of Al Gore

http://www3.haaretz.co.il/eng/scripts/article.asp?mador=14&datee=08/06/00&
id=88117

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========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Barak Concession Week
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Sun, 6 Aug 2000 12:20:22 -0400

YESHA COUNCIL PLANS "BARAK CONCESSION WEEK"

The Yesha Council will conduct a series of events this week and next,
highlighting the various concessions made by Prime Minister Barak at Camp
David. So reports Haggai Huberman in HaTzofeh today. The events will
begin tomorrow with the posting of signs at major intersections directing
traffic to "Palestine" and "Little Israel," thus showing the proximity to
central Israel of the territories slated to be given away. Other signs
will read, "Stop - Border Ahead," and "Danger of Shooting on this Road." A
similar campaign will be carried out in Jerusalem next week.

On Tuesday, bottles of water will be distributed to passers-by in central
Israel, with labels reading, "Barak is giving away Israel's water
supply." Opposition Knesset Members will take part.

On Wednesday, in possibly the most dramatic event, Yesha activists will
dress up as Arab refugees and knock on doors in Haifa, Acre, and Jaffa and
explain that they want "their homes" back. Tel Aviv's northern suburbs may
be included as well. Other planned activities include Jordan Valley vigils
and personal visits by Yesha residents to Barak's home in which they will
entreat him not to abandon them.

Arutz Sheva News Service
  <www.IsraelNationalNews.com>
Sunday, August 6, 2000 / Av 5, 5760

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