UNITED STATES: NEW ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER EHUD BARAK ARRIVES FOR SIX-DAY AMERICAN VISIT

Record ID: 336984

  • Title: UNITED STATES: NEW ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER EHUD BARAK ARRIVES FOR SIX-DAY AMERICAN VISIT
  • Date: 14th July 1999
  • Summary: ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE, MARYLAND, UNITED STATES (JULY 14, 1999) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) (NIGHT SHOTS) 1. ZOOM IN ISRAEL PRIME MINISTER EHUD BARAK'S PLANE TAXIING 0.23 2. CU TAIL OF PLANE 0.28 3. SV OFFICIALS WAITING 0.30 4. MV BARAK DISEMBARKING 0.56 5. MV MEDIA CUTAWAY 1.01 6. SV BARAK SHAKING HANDS WITH OFFICIAL
  • Embargoed: 29th July 1999 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE, MARYLAND, UNITED STATES
  • City:
  • Country: USA
  • Reuters ID: LVAAVOD5HG4RLTCRO4YQKPEBCJN9
  • Story Text: New Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak arrived in
    Washington on Wednesday night to share his thoughts on the
    future of Middle East peace with a U.S.administration
    enthusiastic about the prospects for progress.

    President Bill Clinton will see Barak at the White
    House for three hours on Thursday, and take him to the Camp
    David presidential retreat for an overnight stay.

    The United States is playing down expectations of any
    dramatic decisions during Barak's six-day visit, his first to
    the United States since he won Israeli elections in May.

    Washington will do more listening than talking as it
    sounds out Barak on how he plans to implement last year's Wye
    agreement with the Palestinians, and set in motion serious
    talks about a final settlement of the Arab-Israeli conflict.

    It also wants to know Barak's ideas on reviving talks with
    Syria, suspended by Israel more than three years ago.

    Despite the goodwill and optimism, Barak's first
    pronouncements to major U.S.newspapers raised some questions
    in Washington about the extent to which the United States and
    its closest Middle East ally are singing from the same sheet.

    Barak floated ideas about making changes to the Wye
    agreement which Clinton painstakingly mediated last October.

    The United States replied that it would prefer quick
    implementation without any changes.

    He also sounded critical of the intrusive role the United
    States played in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations under his
    predecessor, defeated prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

    He said he wanted the United States to scale back its role
    in the region.

    But the United States said it agreed on that point.It had
    adopted a more assertive role under Netanyahu because the
    parties asked for it and because the Middle East peace process
    seemed to be on the verge of collapse.

    Barak's plane landed at Andrews Air Force Base.He then
    boarded a helicopter for the short flight to Washington.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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