Flurry of talks in last bid for Middle East peace

JERUSALEM - Israeli and Palestinian envoys were last night reported to be headed for Washington to try to halt weeks of violence, but both sides voiced scepticism over any immediate breakthrough in stalled Middle East peace talks.

The White House confirmed that an Israeli peace negotiator was expected in the US capital this week and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak's office said an Israeli-US-Palestinian committee would be formed to try to "prevent terrorism."

A Western diplomat said a Palestinian negotiator would probably arrive next week, though there would be no direct talks between the two sides.

The flurry of announcements allowed the White House to keep hopes alive that President Bill Clinton could broker a last-gasp deal for the Middle East before leaving office on January 20.

But Israeli Foreign Minister and chief negotiator Shlomo Ben-Ami said that only a miracle could produce a deal to end the 52-year-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict before Clinton bows out.

"As to the possibility of striking a deal in the remaining days, it may be an act of providential miracle that can produce a full deal between us and the Palestinians," said Ben-Ami.

Barak's office emphasised that the Israeli envoy Gilead Sher would be in Washington only to discuss halting the violence and not to revive peace talks with the Palestinians, in particular proposals raised by Clinton after five days of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations last month.

A senior Palestinian negotiator said: "We can't live with these [US] ideas."

Another Palestinian negotiator, Nabil Shaath, said President Yasser Arafat's reply to Clinton's peace initiative would be given after the Palestinian leader briefed Arab foreign ministers in Cairo this week.

"President [Arafat] will come back to brief his Arab brothers and only after that will we declare our final position regarding the American ideas," he said.

Earlier yesterday, in remarks that were at odds with Palestinian assessments, a White House spokesman reported a "move forward" towards peace with Israel during Arafat's three hours of talks with Clinton.

"Chairman Arafat told the President that he had accepted the President's parameters," said White House spokesman Jake Siewert.

"At the same time he expressed some reservations. Both sides have now accepted the President's ideas with some reservations. That represents a step forward."

Israeli-Palestinian peace talks have been stalled since the US-hosted Camp David summit collapsed in July and further hurt by weeks of fighting, in which at least 299 Palestinians, 13 Israeli Arabs and 43 other Israelis have been killed.

- REUTERS

Herald Online feature: Middle East

Backgrounder: Holy city in grip of past

Map

Middle East Daily

Arabic News

Arabic Media Internet Network

Jerusalem Post

Israel Wire

US Department of State - Middle East Peace Process