Shepherdstown meetings: negotiations back on track
Syria-Israel-USA, Politics, 1/5/2000

US President Bill Clinton on Tuesday at 10 p.m. Damascus time held a meeting with Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak.

Discussions dealt with means of giving the peace process a push forward and the work of the specialized committees which were said to be held simultaneously: the border demarcation committee to the June 4, 1967 border lines, the security committee, the committee on ordinary peaceful relations and the water committee.

A meeting is expected to be held later for all committees under the auspices of President Clinton and US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.

Due to efforts made by the US president and Albright Israel has agreed to the special Syrian request to form all work teams, including the negotiating teams on the borders and water.

The spokesman for the White House, Joe Lockhart, said that the tripartite meeting was very constructive.

Lockhart told journalists following the meeting which lasted for one hour, "The sides have agreed to set up committees on certain issues pertaining to peace and that the Syrian and Israeli sides have centered on working and stressed their commitment to the peace process, which we expect to be comprehensive and very precise."

Earlier and in a similar statement to reporters Lockhart said that on Tuesday negotiators had overcome a "procedural hurdle" that stalled Syrian- Israeli peace talks on Monday and said the talks are moving ahead.

Meanwhile, State Department Spokesman James Rubin told reporters that the procedural hurdle that emerged on Monday had been overcome and, "We are proceeding apace."

On Tuesday morning the US president received for the second time Foreign Minister al-Sharaa, and the two sides completed discussions on topics already debated in the meeting held on Monday.

SANA's reporter said according to the contacts held on Tuesday between the high-ranking US officials and al-Sharaa, it was agreed to settle the hurdle created by the Israeli side on Monday and resulted in the delay of the second round of talks.

According to the agreement, meetings for all committees will be held simultaneously. They are the committees for border demarcation of June 4, 1967, the equal security arrangements committee, the ordinary peace relations committee and the water committee.

Rubin said that the US mediator to the Syrian-Israeli peace talks has succeeded in settling the disputes over the timetable of the talks and that the negotiators were able to eliminate the "procedural hurdle."

On Tuesday, the US President Bill Clinton expressed his hope to achieve great successes in the peace talks. He said at the White House, "We just started, but all the issues are on the table. And it's a pretty full table."

The US president added that the US and its allies in Europe and Asia want to contribute to the development of the economy in the region. But he gave no mention to details on the volume of the aid to be given by his country.

President Clinton stated that he, at the present, is not in a position permitting him to talk of the cost to be paid by the US for any peace agreement, stressing that this matter will be discussed with the US Congress.

Clinton has expressed his conviction that the US people with all parties and groups want strongly to see comprehensive peace in the region.

Previous Stories:
  Second round of Israel- Syrian peace talks open in Washington   (1/4/2000)
  On the current Syrian-Israeli negotiations in Washington   (1/4/2000)
  Barak: Peace means complete normalization with Syria and Lebanon   (1/3/2000)

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