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Al-Ahram Weekly 13 - 19 January 2000 Issue No. 464 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 13 - 19 January 2000 Issue No. 464
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Heritage Special Books Profile Travel Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters The pressure principle
US involvement in the ongoing Syrian-Israeli peace talks is an important guarantee of the seriousness of these negotiations, and a decisive factor in enhancing the possibility that the two sides reach an agreement. In their two rounds of negotiations so far, Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk Al-Sharaa and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak have been engaging in chicken and egg arguments.
The Syrians, backed by the Arab countries and basing themselves on UN Security Council resolutions, rightly insist that Israel should agree first on full withdrawal from the Golan Heights to the borders set on 4 June 1967, before discussing security arrangements and means of establishing normal relations. Barak, on the other hand, wants advance payment, and is insisting that Syria tell him what it will give before he determines the extent of Israel's withdrawal.
In this situation, the intervention of US President Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Madeleine Albright was crucial. The Americans presented a document outlining the stands of both Syria and Israel on the various controversial issues and offering possible ways of overcoming differences. Thus, when top negotiators from Syria and Israel meet again on 19 January, they should have clear answers to the questions raised in the US document. Defining each side's stand is a starting point, at least to guarantee that no more time will be wasted on useless debates over what should come first.
Nearly nine years of direct talks have passed since the opening of the 1991 Middle East Peace Conference in Madrid, and the Arabs are no longer ignorant of Israeli negotiating tactics. The Israeli negotiators are ready to waste months on minute details while avoiding the core issues, thinking that by buying time they will be able to impose more facts on the ground and win greater concessions from the Arab side. The Syrians have learned a good deal from the Palestinian, Jordanian and Egyptian experiences in negotiating with Israel and will seek to employ their knowledge in current peace talks. One of the key lessons of these negotiations, indeed, is that direct US presence in any negotiations with Israel is necessary to guarantee their success.
