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Al-Ahram Weekly 12 - 18 August 1999 Issue No. 442 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 12 - 18 August 1999 Issue No. 442
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Profile Books Features Travel Living Sports Time Out Chronicles People Cartoons Letters The test of Wye
Dina Ezzat in Cairo; Hoda Tawfik in Washington; Khaled Amayreh in Jerusalem Egypt is engaged in intensive talks with the regional and international parties involved in Middle East peace-making. One objective of this diplomatic effort is to define, and hopefully resolve, the problems that have blocked progress on the Palestinian track of negotiations since Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak took office. Another objective to is consider options to facilitate progress on the Syrian and Lebanese tracks."The situation is being carefully examined and we are analysing the intentions of the different parties," Foreign Minister Amr Moussa told Al-Ahram Weekly in a telephone interview. Moussa said that the current situation in the peace process "is subject to thorough discussions and coordination that we have been conducting with the Arab parties, Israel and the United States".
Meanwhile, Cairo is becoming more sceptical about Barak's true intentions, particularly concerning the Palestinian track. Despite the promises he made in Cairo about an honest implementation of the transitional Wye River Memorandum, Barak is still being evasive. Indeed, it is widely expected that he will continue to procrastinate although Palestinian President Yasser Arafat has accepted the proposed Israeli delay in redeployment. Egypt believes that the implementation of Wye "within the framework of a reasonable timetable" is the real test of Barak's commitment.
"There is no discrepancy whatsoever between the Egyptian and Palestinian positions on the matter of the implementation of the Wye River Memorandum," said Moussa. He was replying to a question regarding President Hosni Mubarak's recent statement that there was "no problem" if the implementation of Wye was delayed for a few weeks. Some observers have suggested that the president was implicitly endorsing an Israeli proposal to incorporate the third part of the transitional phase with final status talks.
According to Moussa, "Egypt still insists that the implementation of Wye needs to start and that the peace process needs to be given a push on parallel levels. But there was no [endorsement] of incorporation." The foreign minister added that Egypt's policy, as defined by President Mubarak, "is to give a push to the Arab-Israeli peace process on the basis of implementing the relevant resolutions, be they from the UN or the outcome of signed agreements".
This is what Cairo will continue to tell Israeli, Russian, EU and US officials -- including US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, who arrives in the Middle East on 1 September, following a two-week postponement of her trip. Barak and Israeli President Ezer Weizman are expected to visit Egypt shortly before or after Albright's tour. Egypt, however, does not seem prepared to host a three-way summit bringing together Mubarak, Arafat and Barak before the Israeli premier shows serious commitment to the implementation of Wye.
While eager to get the Palestinian track moving, Egypt is not staying away from the Syrian track. In response to an Israeli request, and with a green light from Syria, Egypt is planning to send Osama El-Baz, political adviser to President Mubarak, to Tel Aviv at the end of this month to facilitate the resumption of Israeli-Syrian talks, as a prelude to a possible meeting between the Syrian and Israeli ambassadors in Washington.
Egypt also seems keen to promote closer coordination between the Arab parties immediately involved in the peace process. Asked whether Egypt can do anything to contain the recent Syrian-Palestinian quarrel, triggered by Syrian Defence Minister Mustafa Tlas's harsh criticism of Arafat's policies, Moussa told the Weekly: "There is a lot to be done; but it is important for all the [Arab] parties to fully appreciate the dangerous nature of the current situation [in the peace process], which does not allow for such [a war of words], particularly along the line of the things that were said about President Arafat."
King Abdullah of Jordan is expected to arrive in Egypt toward the end of this month for talks on the future of the peace process with President Mubarak. Informed sources suggest "it is very possible that this meeting may be expanded to include President Arafat as well".
Arafat's second-in-command, Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen), appeared hopeful yesterday that an agreement could be reached on a timetable for a second Israeli redeployment in the West Bank. "We are in the process of establishing a timetable," Abbas said. "Several dates have been put forward and I hope that the committee charged with the job will set a date within 72 hours."
The committee, which brings together Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Ereikat and Gihad Sher, an adviser to Barak, was meeting yesterday in a Jerusalem hotel. The meeting came at the end of a two-week period, which Barak and Arafat gave themselves to determine a timetable for the implementation of the Wye accord. The committee's last meeting, held on 1 August, ended in a stalemate. But since then, secret meetings, notably one held between Barak and Abbas on Monday, appear to have brought the two sides closer.
Arafat had agreed to Barak's demand that the start of implementation should be delayed until 1 September. But Barak's position now is that the countdown must begin on that date, while actual implementation would start on 1 October.
In Washington, a State Department official told the Weekly that the US will not interfere in talks between the Israelis and the Palestinians, and that the two parties will have to decide alone on the implementation, substance and timetable. "We have believed for some time that the best way to advance the peace process in the Middle East is for the Israelis and Palestinians to be in a position to work out the problems themselves and, in simple words, they have to make concessions to each other," the official said.
During her trip to the region, Albright will not interfere in any details. She will focus instead on other issues such as permanent status talks and the Syrian and Lebanese tracks. But the administration does not expect anything resembling a quick resumption of talks on these tracks. According to the State Department official, Albright's tour is simply a stock-taking trip.
