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US sees Mideast deal possible within two months
Israeli and Palestinian leaders could make a peace deal under US auspices within less than two months, a senior US official said.
Israeli and Palestinian
leaders could make a peace deal under US auspices within less
than two months, a senior US official said.
But the prospects depend on complicated discussions now
under way between Israel, the Palestinians, the United States,
Egypt, Jordan and other parties, the official added on Thursday.
The official, who asked not to be named, was briefing reporters about a tour of the Arab world by US assistant secretary of state Edward Walker, whose main mission was to sound out Arab opinion on the future of Jerusalem. The dispute over Jerusalem was the biggest obstacle to a deal when Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, Palestinian President Yasser Arafat and US President Bill Clinton met at Camp David in Maryland for two weeks in July.
Asked how optimistic he was about the chances of another meeting, leading to a deal within two months, the official said: ''I would put the time frame even shorter than that.'' ''The president has indicated he is prepared to go the extra mile on this issue. If the parties are prepared to make the difficult decisions, he's prepared to arrange another meeting to close a deal,'' he added.
''Our sense is that today we have the best opportunity that we have ever faced in 33 years, since the 1967 war. It is a historic opportunity and may not come again,'' he said. But the official later qualified his expectations.
''It's early to say exactly when the timing might be appropriate for a return to Camp David or if a return is appropriate. Discussions are going on now and we will see where they lead,'' he said.
Mr Walker visited 14 Arab countries to ask for their help and to find out how they felt about Jerusalem, a city that has symbolic importance for Muslims as well as for Jews.
He denied the United States had tried to put pressure on the Arab leaders to squeeze, Mr Arafat into concessions.
Bureau Report
The official, who asked not to be named, was briefing reporters about a tour of the Arab world by US assistant secretary of state Edward Walker, whose main mission was to sound out Arab opinion on the future of Jerusalem. The dispute over Jerusalem was the biggest obstacle to a deal when Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, Palestinian President Yasser Arafat and US President Bill Clinton met at Camp David in Maryland for two weeks in July.
Asked how optimistic he was about the chances of another meeting, leading to a deal within two months, the official said: ''I would put the time frame even shorter than that.'' ''The president has indicated he is prepared to go the extra mile on this issue. If the parties are prepared to make the difficult decisions, he's prepared to arrange another meeting to close a deal,'' he added.
''Our sense is that today we have the best opportunity that we have ever faced in 33 years, since the 1967 war. It is a historic opportunity and may not come again,'' he said. But the official later qualified his expectations.
''It's early to say exactly when the timing might be appropriate for a return to Camp David or if a return is appropriate. Discussions are going on now and we will see where they lead,'' he said.
Mr Walker visited 14 Arab countries to ask for their help and to find out how they felt about Jerusalem, a city that has symbolic importance for Muslims as well as for Jews.
He denied the United States had tried to put pressure on the Arab leaders to squeeze, Mr Arafat into concessions.
Bureau Report