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Al-Ahram Weekly 1 - 7 June 2000 Issue No. 484 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 1 - 7 June 2000 Issue No. 484
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Focus Features Heritage Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Lebanon's lessons
In recent statements, Foreign Minister Amr Moussa pointed out how the lack of progress on both the Palestinian and Syrian tracks had discouraged Arab countries from going forward with plans to host regional cooperation meetings between the Arabs and Israel. Since 1996, Arab countries, as a matter of policy, have been linking normalisation of relations to progress in the peace process. Such a policy is likely to remain firm in light of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak's procrastination.What makes matters worse is Barak's failure to appreciate the commitment Syrian leader Hafez Al-Assad made by announcing his readiness for full peace with Israel, including the exchange of trade, tourists and embassies. The only Syrian condition for such peace is Israel's full withdrawal from the Golan Heights, a stand backed by UN Security Council resolutions and international conventions. When such an offer comes from a regime which has based its legitimacy for decades on the struggle against Israel's occupation of Arab territory, it is indeed a major compromise that merits reciprocal movement by Israel towards a permanent peace.
Meanwhile, the model set by the Lebanese resistance movement, Hizbullah, in forcing Israel's withdrawal from south Lebanon without negotiations or conditions, has already led many Arab commentators to question the use of the peace strategy which their governments have been following since the Madrid Middle East Peace Conference in 1991. Palestinian demonstrators who went out to celebrate the Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon waved Hizbullah's flags, while main headlines in scores of Arabic newspapers saluted the resistance movement for teaching Israel a lesson it won't forget and raising the morale of all Arabs after decades of depression.
Israel's failure to reach agreement with Syria and Palestine cannot be but a recipe for instability in the region.
