WEST BANK: PALESTINIANS & ISRAELIS KEEP PEACE TALKS GOING FOLLOWING FAILED CAMP DAVID NEGOTIATIONS

Record ID: 350376

  • Title: WEST BANK: PALESTINIANS & ISRAELIS KEEP PEACE TALKS GOING FOLLOWING FAILED CAMP DAVID NEGOTIATIONS
  • Date: 30th July 2000
  • Summary: JERUSALEM (JULY 30, 2000) (REUTERS) 1. MV ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER EHUD BARAK ARRIVING FOR CABINET MEETING 0.06 2. MV BARAK AND CABINET MINISTERS SEATED 0.09 3. SCU FOREIGN MINISTER DAVID LEVY SEATED 0.13 4. SV CABINET MEMBERS CHATTING 0.15 5. SV SHIMON PERES, MINISTER OF REGIONAL COOPERATION AND PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE, S
  • Embargoed: 14th August 2000 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: JERUSALEM/JERICHO, WEST BANK
  • City:
  • Country: Palestinian Territories
  • Reuters ID: LVAI1LTOIAXCGSLH153PCL0SLP8
  • Story Text: Despite a political crisis facing Israeli Prime
    Minister Ehud Barak, Palestinians and Israelis have kept peace
    talks going following the failed Camp David peace summit.



    The Israeli Prime Minister on Sunday (July 30) held
    his first cabinet meeting since his return from a failed
    Camp David peace summit.

    The 15-day Camp David talks were aimed at clinching a
    final Israeli-Palestinian peace deal by September 13.

    But following the failed summit, Barak has faced a barrage
    of criticism back home where he was seen to have conceded too
    much to the Palestinians during the talks.

    Sunday's cabinet meeting kicked off the the first day of
    what is to be a week of political crisis for Barak, with three
    no-confidence parliamentary motions scheduled for Monday (July
    31) alone.

    Foreign Minister David Levy has kept Israelis guessing
    about his loyalty to Barak, casting doubts on the future of
    the government and Middle East peace moves.

    Levy complained that Barak made concessions to Palestinians
    while getting little in return at the failed peace summit.

    On Sunday Levy again repeated his threat to resign saying
    "I am making all possible efforts to create a unity
    government and if by Wednesday I do not succeed, I will
    resign."
    But despite Israel's political crisis, and an Israeli
    presidential election on Monday (July 31), it was back to
    business on Sunday for negotiators from the two sides.

    Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat and his Israeli
    counterpart Oded Eran met to continue with negotiations in
    the West Bank town of Jericho.

    Despite the continued gulf between the two sides, both
    negotiators emphasised that the sides were determined to
    continue with efforts to find agreement.

    The Israeli negotiator emphasised that progress had been
    made at Camp David, though not enough.

    "We just came back from Camp David. Obviously there was
    some progress made there but not enough. We both have a desire
    to continue and to reach positive results so in this spirit we
    met today," Eran told reporters.

    Erekat said more meetings were scheduled this week.

    "It was agreed that both sides would continue exerting
    maximum efforts. Camp David did not fail. I'm not saying that
    camp David succeeded," he told reporters.

    "But I think we are determined to continue exerting
    maximum efforts in order to achieve a full agreement," he
    said.

    The two sides had failed to agree at Camp David on the
    fate of Jerusalem.

    Palestinians want full sovereignty in Arab East Jerusalem
    as the capital of the independent state they plan to declare
    this year.

    Israelis say Jerusalem is their indivisible capital.


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