 |
Al-Ahram Weekly 2 - 8 September 1999 Issue No. 445 
|
||
Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
| ||
|
Al-Ahram Weekly 2 - 8 September 1999 Issue No. 445
|
||
| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
| ||
Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Focus Culture Features Profile Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Suspended animation
Israeli-Palestinian negotiations on a revised West Bank land-for-security deal hit a last-minute snag yesterday after the two sides failed to reach agreement on the number of Palestinian prisoners to be freed by Israel.Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak's office said he considered the negotiations to be over unless the Palestinians came up with a new proposal before an inner cabinet meeting scheduled for last night.
But shortly after Barak set the deadline the chief Palestinian negotiator, Saeb Ereikat, said he sent two new proposals to the Israelis and was waiting for a response. Ereikat said he had asked the Israelis to refrain from "any insinuation of an ultimatum or threat". And even after the Israeli statement had been issued, Haim Ramon, an Israeli cabinet minister, was meeting at a Jerusalem hotel with Ereikat and Egypt's ambassador to Israel Mohamed Bassiouni.
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, on a visit to The Hague, told reporters the negotiations were continuing and expressed hope for a quick conclusion. And in Cairo, Foreign Minister Amr Moussa said "we do know that more negotiations are scheduled and that the signing of the deal could take place tomorrow [today]." He added that "there are a few points that could be ironed out in the coming hours, provided that both parties are really keen on overcoming the problem."
At the time the talks stalled yesterday afternoon, disagreement focused on whether Israel would release 350 Palestinian political prisoners, rather than the 400 sought by the Palestinians.
According to the Associated Press, the talks did not appear to be in a crisis. Instead, both sides appeared to be trying to make 11th-hour gains before a signing ceremony, to be attended by Arafat, Barak, President Hosni Mubarak and US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, tentatively scheduled for today in Alexandria.
By yesterday afternoon preparations were still continuing at the Ras Al-Tin Palace in Alexandria for a possible signing ceremony. "After all, Albright is expected to arrive in Alexandria around 5pm, and this gives them time," an Egyptian source said.
Even if a deal was not reached, Arafat was still planning to arrive in Egypt for talks with Mubarak and Albright.
In talks spreading over several weeks, including an all-night session from Tuesday to Wednesday, Ereikat and Israeli envoy Gilead Sher had already made considerable progress towards a revised Wye River land-for-security agreement, including a new timetable for three more Israeli troop pullbacks in the West Bank.
A Palestinian official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said there was also tentative agreement that the new deadline for a final peace accord would be set for one year after the negotiations begin.
Ereikat said the negotiators had already written a draft agreement on most points. "Negotiations were conducted in an atmosphere of good faith. We are trying very hard to reconstruct the bridges of trust," he said.
However, after yesterday's session, Barak's office said that "no future meetings are scheduled with the Palestinian team. As far as the Israeli government is concerned, the negotiations have concluded. If no other announcement is made until the start of the cabinet meeting this [last] evening, the prime minister will conclude that the Palestinians are interested in implementation of the Wye agreement to the letter, and Israel will act accordingly," the statement said.
The Palestinians had initially insisted on a full implementation of the Wye agreement which calls for an Israeli troop pullback from 13 per cent of the West Bank in three stages and the release of 750 Palestinian prisoners. However, they agreed to negotiate some changes after Barak offered incentives, including handing over more land at an earlier stage.
If Wye is implemented as it was signed last October at the White House, Barak has some discretion in deciding whether to release Palestinian security prisoners or ordinary criminals, as was done by his predecessor, Binyamin Netanyahu.
However, Israel would also lose by implementing Wye without changes. Barak has said the final troop pullback stipulated by Wye would isolate Jewish settlements and make them targets for attack by Palestinian militants.
A signature on a revised Wye accord would mark the first achievement for Barak who has promised to get negotiations with the Palestinians, Syria and Lebanon back on track. An agreement would also allow Albright to focus on getting Israeli-Syrian talks resumed during her four-day visit to the Middle East.
Under the emerging agreement negotiated by Sher and Ereikat, the next Israeli troop pullback would begin in the next few days, to be followed by a second one on 15 November and a third one at the end of the year or the beginning of 2000.
According to sources in Cairo, the two sides also faced a problem in phrasing the language about the troop redeployment. Moussa said they were discussing alternative ideas and language.
The two sides appeared to have compromised on a new deadline for a final peace agreement. Israel has proposed December 2000, while the Palestinians wanted talks to conclude in April 2000. In allowing a year for the talks, the new deadline would be sometime in the autumn of next year.
Dina Ezzat in Cairo, Wire dispatches
