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Al-Ahram Weekly 24 - 30 August 2000 Issue No. 496 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 24 - 30 August 2000 Issue No. 496
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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 Deadlines and diplomacy
By Nevine KhalilTime is running out for negotiators on all sides to break the deadlock in the Middle East peace process. The deadline, though, is no longer 13 September which, until recently, Palestinian President Yasser Arafat had insisted would be the day he will declare Palestinian statehood. His position has now softened following the failure to drum up support for a unilateral declaration before an agreement is reached with the Israelis.
"The declaration of a Palestinian state is a dream for us, and we will recognise it immediately," President Hosni Mubarak told a student rally in Alexandria yesterday. "Many countries advise Arafat to postpone [the declaration] in order not to complicate the situation further... We do not want the Palestinian state to collapse due to Israeli action against them."
Mubarak said the Camp David summit between President Bill Clinton, Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Arafat was not a complete failure. "It succeeded in opening discussions of issues untouchable in the past, such as Jerusalem and the refugees," Mubarak said.
He insisted that "no one can conceive of East Jerusalem and the Aqsa Mosque under Israeli sovereignty... Jerusalem is a sensitive, complicated and dangerous issue and a solution must be found, but I don't have a magic one," Mubarak said. "Compromise on this issue would lead to endless terrorism and violence."
Acknowledging the Egyptian role, Israel's acting Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben Ami said yesterday: "Fulfilling the main job in this problem of coming up with formulas concerning Jerusalem is the Egyptian government."
The future status of Jerusalem was the flashpoint at the Camp David summit. "We are looking at all offers," said Foreign Minister Amr Moussa on Monday after one hour of talks between Mubarak and Arafat. "We are discussing what's on the table right now, how to deal with it to reach the necessary equilibrium." But Moussa believes that a lot of work is needed -- "discussions, adjustments, changes, omissions and additions" -- in order to ensure a just and comprehensive peace.
Cairo continues to play its role of facilitator, listening to all sides, brainstorming on ideas and receiving envoys and officials from around the world. Norwegian Foreign Minister Thorbjoern Jagland and Ben Ami will be in Alexandria today for separate talks with Mubarak and other senior officials. Arafat is expected back in Egypt on Saturday.
Arafat and Barak are expected to meet separately with Clinton on the fringe of the 6-9 September millennial session of the UN General Assembly in New York. If a Palestinian-Israeli agreement appears to be a possibility, Arafat and Barak may have a second summit meeting with Clinton. Time is of the essence because Clinton wants to clinch a deal before he steps down in January, crowning his terms of office with a final settlement.
According to US peace envoy Dennis Ross, Washington is ready to host a summit bringing Arafat and Barak together if the two sides are ready to agree on something concrete.
But a just and comprehensive deal still appears unlikely to emerge from such a bleak political incubation period. Barak faces the fragmentation of his coalition, which threatens to bring him down. In the view of the Syrians, Barak does not have what it takes to clinch "the peace of the brave" after all, or deliver on his electoral campaign promises to bring stability and security to his people. Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk Al-Sharaa, during a visit to Alexandria on Monday, put it bluntly, describing Barak as "not serious about reaching peace, dishonest and incompetent," and affirming that his coalition government is "weak and full of contradictions."
On the other hand, Arafat needs to muster clear and solid Arab support for his negotiating strategy. An Arab summit would certainly help him achieve this, but more importantly it would cement Arab ties and revive solidarity.
"Egypt is always trying to unite Arab ranks," Mubarak said. "Face-to-face meetings are the most important during these summits. There is a conviction among Arab leaders that a summit must be held, but the question is how. We have studied the possibility and we will try to hold one this year or early next year at the latest. An Arab summit is our only prop."
Al-Sharaa noted that currently the Arab world is "miserable, dispersed and fragmented." During a 90-minute meeting with Mubarak in Alexandria on Monday, Syria's top diplomat conveyed a message from President Bashar Al-Assad, but also spent time discussing "the general condition of Arab solidarity and the importance of coordinating positions," said Moussa.
Al-Sharaa said that Damascus "will not hesitate to support a serious effort to hold a successful Arab summit"... Indeed Syria has discussed the possibility with leaders and officials in Egypt and Saudi Arabia, though with no solid results.
Although Cairo also wants to ensure "the best and highest-level coordination" among Arab countries, it believes that it is still premature to embark on such an endeavour. The Arab League meeting of foreign ministers on 3-4 September will be an opportunity to discuss the issue further and "consult on enhancing coordination, discuss a summit agenda, and prepare for it," said Moussa.
The foreign ministers conference comes a week after the Jerusalem Committee of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference [OIC] meets in Morocco on 28 August.
Related stories:
Sprinting an extra mile 17 - 23 August 2000
Camp David II 13 - 19 July 2000
