VARIOUS: ISRAELI AND PALESTINIAN NEGOTIATORS HEAD HOME AFTER TALKS WITH U.S. PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON

Record ID: 400385

  • Title: VARIOUS: ISRAELI AND PALESTINIAN NEGOTIATORS HEAD HOME AFTER TALKS WITH U.S. PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON
  • Date: 24th December 2000
  • Summary: WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES (DECEMBER 23, 2000) (REUTERS) 1. (SOUNDBITE) (English) ISRAELI FOREIGN MINSTER SHLOMO BEN-AMI RETURN FROM A MEETING WITH U.S. PRESIDENT CLINTON AND PALESTINIAN NEGOTIATORS: "I'd say that differences remain. It is for the leaders to decide whether they want to have a meeting or not." 0.09 2. LAS TILT DOWN EXTERIOR THE
  • Embargoed: 8th January 2001 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES/ HEBRON, WEST BANK/ GAZA
  • City:
  • Country: Palestinian Territories
  • Reuters ID: LVA7FEVFV3320NQSH070T6B9YNHK
  • Story Text: Israeli and Palestinian negotiators were heading home
    on Saturday (December 24) with ideas that President Bill
    Clinton suggested they discuss with their respective
    leaderships on how to proceed toward a final Middle East peace
    settlement.

    Five days of talks between the two delegations, capped
    by a joint meeting with Clinton at the White House on
    Saturday, produced no breakthrough.

    "I'd say that differences remain. It is for the leaders to
    decide whether they want to have a meeting or not," said
    Israeli Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben Ami on his return from the
    White House.

    Minutes later, Palestinian negotiator, Saeb Erekat, on
    the way to an undisclosed informal meeting with Ben-Ami, said
    that negotiations had moved forward.

    "I said that we have been in difficult, tough
    negotiations and talks and the gaps are there. We expressed
    and did whatever we can to conclude an agreement," Erekat
    said.

    But differences remain between the two he said following
    talks over coffee and sandwiches.

    "As far as the discussions we had in the last five says,
    it was a serious, very difficult, very tough and I can only
    say that there are major gaps that exist on all issues between
    the two sides," Erekat said.

    Despite these differences, Palestinian sources told
    Reuters that he expects negotiations to continue in Washington
    in the near future.

    Ben-Ami said he was encouraged by the talks and said
    both leaders will probably come to Washington. Ben-Ami
    predicted that Barak's meeting with the U.S. president could
    happen as early as December 28. It was still unclear if there
    would be a tri-lateral meeting or if each side would meet
    independently with Clinton.

    He told Israeli radio on Sunday (December 24) that
    Israeli and Palestinians were facing a moment of truth and
    seemed to infer that Israel was prepared to make concession.

    Israeli media said these may relate to Palestinian
    sovereignty in Arab East Jerusalem and elsewhere in the West
    Bank in exchange for Palestinian compromise on the return of
    refugees.

    He had said on Saturday that the atmosphere had improved
    and that the chances of reaching an agreement were far greater
    than before this most recent round of talks.

    "What we can say is that we went deeper into an
    appreciation of each-others' vital necessities and we came to
    the moment of truth that it now seems to me that it is a
    moment of decision. I'm not saying there is no room for
    further negotiations, but essentially, this is a moment for
    the tough decisions on the major principles of the possible
    deal," Ben Ami said.

    Israeli sources told Reuters that in addition to the
    meeting next week, they believe there is a very good chance
    that a summit will take place at the beginning of January.

    They predict that the two sides will reach an agreement at
    that time. Both sides told Reuters that they believe an
    agreement can be concluded before the end of Clinton's final
    term.

    In the West Bank and Gaza Strip, sporadic clashes erupted
    between Palestinians and Israeli troops, and two Palestinians
    died of bullet wounds sustained earlier this month.

    Thousands of Palestinians attended the funeral of
    14-year-old Arafat Meshael in the divided West Bank town of
    Hebron on Saturday (December 23).

    The teenage boy was killed in Hebron by Israeli troops -
    shot dead by a rubber-bullet in the head during riots after
    the last Friday prayers in the holy month of Ramadan.

    In the southern Gaza town of Rafah, another group of
    mourners buried a Palestinian man who died of wounds received
    in clashes with Israeli troops on Thursday.

    Twenty-eight year old civil emergency worker Nabil Abu
    Awn, died from a bullet wound to the head fired by Israeli
    troops near the Jewish settlement of Netzarim in the Gaza
    Strip on Wednesday, Palestinian hospital officials said.


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