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Al-Ahram Weekly 7 - 13 September 2000 Issue No. 498 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 7 - 13 September 2000 Issue No. 498
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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 'Enough bickering'
By Nevine Khalil
Visiting France, the current chair of the European Union, President Hosni Mubarak updated Paris officials on the situation along the Palestinian-Israeli track of negotiations, thoroughly explaining the Arab position on the future of East Jerusalem. Mubarak, who arrived in the French capital last Friday, exchanged views with President Jacques Chirac, emphasising the importance of Palestinian sovereignty over East Jerusalem.
Mubarak and Chirac tell reporters that time is tight to reach a framework agreement; and put their heads together over Jerusalem
Chirac, who spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak by telephone only hours before Mubarak's arrival, said he and Mubarak "met as two men concerned with achieving a just and permanent peace." He said France and the EU support this peace, in coordination with Egypt, "which is the voice of reason." The French president is expected to meet with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat on the fringe of the UN Millennium Summit which opened yesterday in New York.
Mubarak's three-day visit to France came at a critical time for the Middle East peace process as the clock raced towards the 13 September deadline for reaching a framework agreement between the Palestinians and Israelis, and the declaration of Palestinian statehood -- a deadline unlikely to be met. Time is also pressing because the US administration is soon to change when President Bill Clinton steps down from office next January. Last July's Camp David summit, subsequent consultations and yesterday's separate meetings between the American chief executive and each of Arafat and Barak are Clinton's last serious pitch as president to close a deal between the Palestinians and Israelis. "I am certain that if a framework agreement is not concluded now, it never will be," Mubarak told the French newspaper Le Figaro. He cautioned that now is the best opportunity to reach a framework agreement because it will take the new US administration at least one year to focus attention on the peace process again.
Although Cairo and Paris agree on the need for a sustainable and equitable peace in the Middle East and want to work to remove obstacles on the way in coordination with the US, it was clear that they did not see eye-to-eye on all issues on the table. "We are looking for solutions to bring the Palestinians and Israelis closer," Chirac told a joint news conference with Mubarak on Friday, "and naturally, during this process, we have differing sentiments." He asserted, however, that Cairo and Paris "are determined to coordinate and serve peace."
Foreign Minister Amr Moussa confirmed that differences existed, saying there were "great similarities" in viewpoints over the future of Jerusalem during the talks, "but not identical views." Cairo's position, as summarised by Moussa, is that settling the Jerusalem issue must be a package deal that determines the future status of Al-Haram Al-Sharif (Temple Mount), other religious sites, and Old Jerusalem and East Jerusalem as a whole. A "one package" agreement would have the Muslim, Christian and Armenian quarters under Palestinian sovereignty and the Jewish quarter and Wailing Wall under Israeli sovereignty.
"Dividing East Jerusalem is not acceptable; neither is joint Palestinian and Israeli sovereignty over the Holy City, nor the internationalisation of Jerusalem," Mubarak asserted. The president also denied Cairo had agreed to persuade the Palestinians to accept a proposal for dividing the city, revered by the three monotheistic religions, into Jewish, Muslim, Christian and Armenian quarters.
"I will not speak to Arafat about any proposal which I know he will turn down," said Mubarak. "Cairo's position is solid regarding Palestinian sovereignty over East Jerusalem. We are helping the Palestinians gain total control over the holy sites and East Jerusalem with all its quarters, except for the Jewish district and the Wailing Wall. The Palestinians agreed to this."
According to Moussa, Cairo's position is firm. "Egypt does not want to be party to a peace agreement which is not good or balanced," he said. "The Americans understand this well, so do the French, Palestinians and Israelis."
Mubarak told French television that "anyone who opposes Palestinian sovereignty over Al-Aqsa Mosque will face incredible problems and bring tragedy to both sides."
Mubarak and Chirac agreed that the opportunities available now should be utilised to reach a framework agreement within a month or two, rather than wait for conditions to be ripe for a comprehensive deal. A framework agreement would include the principles and rules of settling all final status issues, which include the future status of Jerusalem, Jewish settlements, borders, Palestinian refugees, security arrangements, water issues and Palestine's relations with other states.
Mubarak told Le Figaro that after a framework agreement is reached, "it doesn't matter if detailed negotiations on final status issues take two or three years." He expressed hope that a framework agreement can be reached this September. "There is give-and-take on ideas right now. We are very close to peace, and if we lose this opportunity, it will be a disaster," said Mubarak. Chirac agreed: "We believe that we are close to our target and all that is required is a small effort to reach it."
Again, time is of the essence. "We cannot wait much longer after the 13 September deadline because each day that passes undermines hope," said Mubarak's chief political adviser Osama El-Baz. "We don't have much time to waste on bickering and reiterating well-known viewpoints."
Egypt wants the problems on the Palestinian track to be resolved even-handedly. "I didn't expect Camp David to succeed, because the gap was too wide and the Americans gave the impression that they wanted to save Barak alone. But you can't throw Barak a life vest and leave Arafat to drown. We have to save both in order to rescue peace," Mubarak stressed.
Reactivating the stalled Syrian track, which Cairo believes should go hand-in-hand with progress on the Palestinian track, was also on Mubarak's Paris agenda. "It is Israel's duty and it is in its interest to move on all tracks simultaneously," noted El-Baz, cautioning that ignoring Damascus much longer would be "an ill-fated mistake." Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad will be visiting Egypt in the second half of this month. Reactivating the Syrian track is bound to be part of his discussions with Mubarak.
Related stories:
Eye on the hour 31 August - 6 September 2000
A 'creative' deal? 31 August - 6 September 2000
