UNITED STATES: SECOND DAY OF MIDDLE EAST SUMMIT TALKS IN WASHINGTON THREATENS STALEMATE

Record ID: 337745

  • Title: UNITED STATES: SECOND DAY OF MIDDLE EAST SUMMIT TALKS IN WASHINGTON THREATENS STALEMATE
  • Date: 2nd October 1996
  • Summary: WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES (OCTOBER 2, 1996) (RTV - ACCESS ALL) 1. LV PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT YASSER ARAFAT LEAVING THE RITZ-CARLTON HOTEL, GETS INTO CAR 0.18 2. LV ARAFAT MOTORCADE ARRIVES AT WHITE HOUSE 0.48 3. LV ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU MOTORCADE ARRIVES WHITE HOUSE 1.06 4. LV KING HUSSEIN OF JORDAN MOTORCADE ARRIVES WHITE HOUSE 1.20 5. SLV STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN NICHOLAS BURNS WALKING UP TO MICROPHONE FOR PRESS CONFERENCE 1.26 6. MV BURNS SAYING THESE ARE IMPORTANT MATTERS, WE DID NOT THINK THEY COULD RESOLVE THEM ALL HERE, WE WANTED TO GET THEM FACE TO FACE AND START A PROCESS THAT WOULD CONTINUE ELSEWHERE (ENGLISH) (CUTAWAY TO MEDIA) 2.16 7. LV CHAIRS ARRANGED FOR PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON'S NEWS CONFERENCE 2.26 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
  • Embargoed: 17th October 1996 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES
  • City:
  • Country: USA
  • Reuters ID: LVA2K29TCZAE4AMAQDMHDJA5IORJ
  • Story Text: - INTRO: A second day of Middle East summit talks in Washington began late after differences between the Israeli and Palestinian delegations threatened stalemate.

    Palestinian President Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived for summit talks at the White House on Wednesday (October 2) despite serious disagreements which threatened to halt further progress.

    United States (U.S.) President Bill Clinton welcomed Arafat, Netanyahu and King Hussein of Jordan for a second day of summit talks shortly after deputies ended a troubled morning of discussions guided by U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher.

    One well-informed Palestine Liberation Organisation official told Reuters that Israeli demands had been rejected by the Palestinians. He said Netanyahu asked for a meeting with Arafat, which Arafat rejected.

    The official said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had demanded the Palestinian Authority try police who had fired on Israeli soldiers during the violence last week and that Palestinian President Yasser Arafat reduce the size of his police force. He said Palestinians rejected the demands.

    He added that Netanyahu had rejected demands for long-delayed Israeli troop redeployment in Hebron, and also refused to close a tunnel in Jerusalem the opening of which on September 24 sparked bloody clashes.

    The discussions had begun on Tuesday with Netanyahu and Palestinian Arafat meeting face-to-face for only the second time.

    Working level meetings followed throughout the night.

    On Wednesday morning senior aides of Netanyahu and Arafat met Christopher, but afterwards an Israeli official reported the Palestinians had called for an immediate redeployment from Hebron without any security arrangements elsewhere, and the Israelis "were not ready for that." State Department spokesman Nicholas Burns said that important issues were being discussed, and it had never been thought all issues would be resolved. He said the aim had been to get Arafat and Netanyahu together face to face and hope to start a negotiation process that would continue afterwards.

    The crisis summit was called after bloody clashes in Jerusalem, Gaza and the West Bank last week killed 57 Palestinians and 15 Israelis and threatened to scuttle the whole peace process.

    Chairs were put out in the White House for a planned news conference by all of the leaders, but it was then announced Clinton alone would speak in a "summarising statement" at 1430EDT (1830GMT), attended by Netanyahu and Arafat.


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