Albright on way to Damascus So far, we have a long way to go
Regional, Politics, 9/12/1997

After her meetings with Israeli and Palestinian leaders, American Secretary of State Madeleine Albright seemed less optimistic than expected. After talks with Palestinian Authority (PA) President Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Albright expressed that there was still a long way to go in restarting stalled talks between Israel and the PA.

Albright is going to Damascus today to meet Syrian President Hafez Assad, after her second meeting with Palestinian President Yasser Arafat. The Syrian television channel declared that there were still chances reestablish Israeli respect for the the Oslo Agreement. Egyptian President Mubarak declared that the Middle East is threatened, and that it needs to get over suffering and start a new stage with a clear and firm attitude.

Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri declared in Paris that Albright has not shown any signs of intending to visit Lebanon.

Albright seemed to be trying to get along with all parties in her talks with Arafat and Netanyahu, though she said that the peace process still needed much more time. Albright promised that the United States will collaborate with Israel to fight against terrorism and to stop fundamentalists. She asked the Palestinian Authority to help realize this aim and promised them that colonialism will be stopped, saying that Israel should not take unilateral decisions.

Albright stressed many times the necessity of stopping terrorist activities. She said that she knows that the Palestinians are suffering , but that it did not justify the use of violence. "There is no moral equivalence between killing people and building homes." As a consequence, Israelis have arrested many supporters of Hamas in Jerusalem and Naples, and the Palestinian Police participated in these arrests.

Albright added that the United States is concerned about Iran's behavior and accused Iran of collaboration with Moscow and Bejing in nuclear weapon exchanges.

Previous Stories:
  PNA ready for final status talks but wants Israel to pull out first   (9/11/1997)
  Minister says Syria will spare no effort for peace   (9/11/1997)
  Netanyahu, Albright stress security after meeting   (9/10/1997)

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