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Al-Ahram Weekly 25 - 31 March 1999 Issue No. 422 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 25 - 31 March 1999 Issue No. 422
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Focus Profile Features Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Not what they wanted
By Hoda TawfikReaffirming a long-held position, President Bill Clinton told Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat the United States opposes a unilateral Palestinian declaration of statehood. At a bilateral meeting in Washington, Clinton said the issue should be resolved through negotiations with Israel.
The US president is one of a number of world leaders Arafat is consulting as he ponders what to do after 4 May, the end of the five-year negotiating period outlined in the 1993 Oslo Accords between Israel and the Palestinians.
Arafat has spoken of the possibility of a unilateral declaration of independence on that date, but was advised by several Arab and European leaders to delay the proclamation in order not to influence the outcome of Israeli parliamentary elections scheduled for 17 May.
Arafat visited a number of European countries before arriving in Washington Monday night. He met with UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in New York and with Clinton in Washington on Tuesday.
The Palestinian delegation accompanying Arafat to Washington had great hope that Clinton, who expressed sympathy for the cause and sufferings of the Palestinians during his visit to Gaza, would be more forthcoming in offering a concrete recognition of their right to self-determination.
But Clinton was not forthcoming. Sa'eb Ereikat, the chief Palestinian negotiator, expressing frustration and disappointment, told Al-Ahram Weekly that Clinton made no commitment regarding the Palestinian right to self-determination. Ereikat said a wide gap remained between what the Palestinians want and what the United States was ready to offer.
Arafat told the Weekly that his consultations with Clinton were "good and fruitful", with the US president committing his administration to progress in the peace process.
But asked about the guarantees he sought from Clinton to recognise the Palestinians' right to self-determination and to declare their own state, Arafat responded solemnly: "We did not touch on this topic." Arafat, however, recalled that Clinton, during a visit to Gaza in December, used the phrase "on their free, independent land".
On 14 December, during his only visit to Palestinian-controlled territory, Clinton said: "For the first time in the history of the Palestinian movement, the Palestinian people and their elected representatives now have a chance to determine their own destiny on their own land."
But a US administration official said the "US cannot give the Palestinians what they want. We cannot give them a statement on a Palestinian state. We cannot go as far as recognising their right to self-determination." The official added: "The most we can give them is a strong commitment on negotiations after the Israeli elections."
A State Department official told the Weekly: "We don't believe that everything will collapse after 4 May, just because the deadline has ended. You just continue talking, and President Clinton committed the administration to moving vigorously [in the peace process], with US involvement, after the Israeli elections. This is about what we can give."
An administration official who briefed reporters following the Clinton-Arafat meeting said the US would like to see a resumption of negotiations on the final status of the Occupied Territories following the Israeli elections. According to this official, Clinton told Arafat the US does not view the negotiating process as open-ended and wants the negotiations to take place on "an intensive, accelerated basis, serious and credible".
The official said no target dates had been decided for finalising the negotiations, but added that the negotiating process should continue only long enough "to complete the work".
The US position was obviously unsatisfactory to the Palestinians. "Arafat day" in Washington was not a day for taking decisions on declaring a state by 4 May or delaying the proclamation.
According to Nabil Shaath, minister of international cooperation in the Palestinian National Authority, Arafat told Clinton that he came to consult with him and hear his views on the 4 May issue. Arafat made it clear that he was going to consult other leaders during trips to Russia, Japan, Canada and other countries, before he takes the outcome of his consultations to the Palestinian leadership, Shaath said.
He added that Europe was working on a declaration to support the Palestinian right to self-determination and the recognition of a Palestinian state when it is declared. Shaath did not mention dates, but the implication was that Europe would support a state, provided the declaration was delayed beyond 4 May.
A State Department official confirmed that consultations were continuing between the United States and the European Union.
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has said Israel will respond "very forcefully" if the Palestinians opt for statehood on their own. (see p.2)
also see Win a little, lose a little
