At last Barak admits Rabin's pledge to quit the Golan
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak admitted on Sunday that former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin had deposited with the Americans a pledge of withdrawal from the occupied Syrian Golan Heights to June 4, 1967 border lines for security arrangements. Barak indicated that the US administration conveyed this pledge in due time to Syria.
In a speech he made during the Cabinet's weekly session on Sunday, Israeli Radio quoted Barak as saying that his predecessor, Benjamin Netanyahu, had considered the June 4 lines a basis for withdrawal to the border lines.
Barak said President Bill Clinton wishes to reach a peace accord by May, prior to the end of his term of office.
Barak stressed that keeping Israeli troops in south Lebanon will cost Israel more human losses.
For his part, Israeli Education Minister Yossi Sarid called on his government to exert every possible effort in order to withdraw the Israeli forces from south Lebanon. He acknowledged the need for a complete withdrawal from the Golan and south Lebanon.
In a statement following the session of the Israeli Cabinet, Sarid suggested that his government should immediately draw the withdrawal lines from the Golan.
Meanwhile, the Israeli Cabinet met on Sunday for a marathon debate on ending Israel's occupation in Lebanon.
The meeting aimed at discussing the question of Israel's withdrawal from south Lebanon.
In this regard, Israeli Minister of Regional Cooperation Shimon Peres has called for a unilateral withdrawal of Israel's troops from south Lebanon, especially as the possibilities of reaching an agreement with Syria in this connection are very "weak."
Israeli Army Radio quoted Peres as saying that there is no need to keep the Israeli army in Lebanon, especially in light of the possibility of the Israeli response to the operations carried out by the Hizbullah and after the Israeli withdrawal to the international borders exists just as is the case now where the Israeli Army is still present in south Lebanon.
