Pessimism prevailing over Camp David talks
Palestine-Jordan, Politics, 7/17/2000

Israeli sources stressed on Sunday that gaps in the Camp David negotiations are still wide between the Israeli and Palestinian sides. The Israeli radio quoted these sources as saying that the Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak saying that an agreement can be reached with the Palestinians if there is a complete Israeli control on the occupied city of Jerusalem.

To this effect, the former chairman of the Palestinian negotiation team with Israel Haidar Abdul Shafi has expressed fears of the Palestinians that the Palestinian delegation in the camp David will succumb to Israeli and American pressures that would lead to soften its position towards its demands.

In a statement to the Israeli radio on Sunday, Abdul Shafi explained that the statement released by Palestinian leading figures is considered a warning to the Palestinian government to stop it from giving any other concessions during the Camp David negotiations.

He expressed his pessimism over the negotiations taking place.

He stressed that the Palestinians gave the Israeli side so many concessions and there is no way for more concessions.

Meantime, the Israeli foreign minister David levy denied that Israel had given concessions to the Palestinians during the current negotiations in Camp David.

He said that rumors on achieving a progress in the Israeli- Palestinian negotiations on the ground of given Israeli concessions are groundless.

In a press statement on meeting with his Czech counterpart on Sunday in occupied Jerusalem, Levy said that the Palestinians had not accepted what they were offered, as he claims.

Worthy mentioning that Levy who represents the right wing in the Israeli government refused to head to Camp David, in an expression of his protest to convening a Palestinian - Israeli meeting with the participation of the US President Bill Clinton.

However, and in the 6th day of the Camp David Summit which includes the chairman of the Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, and the Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak with the participation of the US President Bill Clinton, sources of the Palestinian delegation showed their optimism on the possibility of reaching an agreement, contrary to the Israeli officials who said that no breakthrough seems to be looming.

Meantime, the White House said that negotiations are active just three days before President Clinton's will travel to Japan to take part at the industrial summit of the G- 8 group.

The spokesman for the White House Joe Lockheart said in his daily press conference in Thermion, near camp David that both sides in the negotiations realize the agenda and understand the need for intensive efforts. He described the atmosphere prevailing the negotiations in the recent days as intensified, recalling that the issues debated are difficult.

On Saturday evening Clinton met separately with Arafat and then with Barak before the three men met on the dinner banquet.

Lockheart announced that the American, Israeli and Palestinian negotiators held the first tripartite meeting on civil issues pertaining to the final status, noting that the are currently holding meetings within smaller groups.

Meantime, Israeli and American officials have explained that three Israeli, and Palestinian work teams met to discuss civil issues, economic relations and sharing of water resources.

The negotiations covered relations between the two countries after the declaration of the Palestinian state, taxation, electricity and the transport move between the two sides.

The meetings were held in Emitsburg, 10 kilometers to the north of Thermion.

The Israeli delegation is led by former ambassador to Jordan Odid Eiran and the coordinator of the Israeli army in the west bank and Gaza strip gen. Yakov Ore. The Palestinian delegation included the minister of civil affairs Jamil al-Tareifi and the minister of the economy Maher al-Masri.

Previous Stories:
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  Jordan : Right of return for Palestinians is important   (7/10/2000)
  Jordanian concern of the creation of a border talks with Israel   (7/10/2000)

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