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Al-Ahram Weekly 27 July - 2 August 2000 Issue No. 492 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 27 July - 2 August 2000 Issue No. 492
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Features Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters
Standing firm
"ARAFAT'S firm stance at Camp David was praiseworthy and will enhance the Palestinian negotiating position in the coming stage," Arab-Israeli member of the Knesset, Azmi Bishara, told Rasha Saad on Tuesday, following the breakdown of Camp David II.Bishara had earlier voted against Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak's participation in the negotiations, sceptical that the Israeli stance could lead to a just and permanent settlement. He warned, however, that the Palestinians will face increasing pressure in the coming few weeks and hoped that Arafat would be able to stand up to this pressure.
"The Palestinians have to close ranks, and the Palestinian Authority has to allow more freedom of expression and democracy in order for the Palestinians to be ready for another round of resistance."
Bishara had expected Camp David II to collapse as it was clear from the start that the Israeli and American agenda would be imposed on all tracks of the negotiations.
"Now that the expected happened, it is natural that the failure is blamed on the Palestinian side. Pressure on the Palestinians has already increased, as was made clear in Clinton's speech, which indirectly blames Arafat for the failure," Bishara said.
He also underlined the unequal positions of the two sides. "Israel is the occupying force and it is the land of the Palestinians that is occupied. The Palestinians cannot offer more concessions without renouncing their legitimate rights."
It is the Israeli side, Bishara said, that "started the negotiations with 'red lines.' And the Israeli stance -- despite claims of making concessions -- remained within the parameters of Barak's 'four No's.'"
Neither does Bishara hold any hope that a permanent settlement will be reached by the two sides in the near future.
"What will be determined are a number of temporary arrangements aimed at avoiding any serious clashes between the Israelis and the Palestinians. I believe the US will work towards this by continuing negotiations and maintaining pressure in the hope of convening another summit next month."
Concorde crash
FRANCE grounded its entire fleet of Concordes indefinitely yesterday pending the outcome of the initial investigation into the cause of the crash of Air France flight 4590 on Tuesday. Bound for New York, flight 4590 crashed just after take-off from Paris's Charles de Gaulle airport killing 113 people.All 109 passengers and crew on board the plane and four people on the ground were killed. Ninety-six of the passengers were German, en route to begin a deluxe 15-day Caribbean cruise. German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder attended a memorial service for the victims at the Expo world fair in Hanover.
Desert crash
THIRTEEN Jordanian servicemen were killed when a C-130 Royal Air Force transport crashed early Tuesday morning during a training flight. A Jordanian military spokesman said the crash was due to a technical fault. The plane went down in the desert near the village of Dabaan, east of the Jordanian capital Amman. The army has sealed off roads leading to the village as civil defense workers searched through the wreckage. The victims included members of the army's elite Special Operations Unit. Jordan's King Abdullah is expected to return home from Britain in order to attend the funeral. The king had been scheduled to visit Morocco.
