President Clinton met with Palestinian President Yasser Arafat on today to discuss US proposals for Middle East peace talks, racing against time as violence continued in the region and Israelis expressed doubts of securing a deal soon.
Mr Clinton and Mr Arafat made no public remarks as they sat down for a meeting in the Oval Office to review a US peace plan that has drawn strong Palestinian opposition.
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Israeli Prime Minister: Ehud Barak |
Earlier in the day Mr Clinton would not comment about his meeting with Mr Arafat but just held up his hand with his fingers crossed in a sign that he hoped for the best.
The urgency of finding a solution was underscored by fresh violence in the Gaza Strip. Israeli troops shot dead a Palestinian farmer in the Gaza Strip after a bomb blast wounded an Israeli soldier at a nearby Jewish settlement.
Two soldiers were also wounded in other incidents, one in the mainly Palestinian-ruled Gaza and another in the divided city of Hebron in the West Bank.
Mr Clinton and Mr Arafat decided to meet after the US leader held separate 45-minute telephone conversations yesterday with Mr Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak.
Mr Clinton has been trying to prod the two toward accepting proposals that could serve as a basis for a long-term solution in the Middle East, and end 52 years of Israeli-Palestinian conflict and three months of fighting which has killed at least 355 people.
Israel has broadly accepted the new US proposals but the Palestinians still want some clarifications. Mr Clinton said last week there was no point in further talks unless both sides would accept the parameters he laid out.
P.J. Crowley, spokesman for the White House National Security Council, said the aim of the Mr Arafat meeting was to ensure the Palestinian leader fully understood the US proposals, which Mr Clinton set out on Dec. 23.
"We want to be sure there's a common understanding in the parameters," he said, though he would not say what the next step might be. "We'll see where we are at the end of the meeting ... We'll have a better idea of where we go."
White House officials declined to speculate about a possible meeting between Mr Clinton and Mr Barak, saying discussions on a US peace initiative had to proceed one step at a time.
An Israeli official said there were no preparations for a visit by Mr Barak.
"Barak did not rule out the possibility that some Israelis could come to Washington if the meeting today shows we can move forward," he said. "We are waiting to see what happens and I don't think anyone is particularly upbeat."
Mr Barak said in Israel he said he would consider sending representatives to Washington should there be a halt to "terrorism" and a resumption of Israeli-Palestinian security cooperation.
Stakes are high for all sides, including Mr Clinton, who has invested enormous time and effort in a drive to secure Middle East peace and is making a last push before leaving office.
Reuters