Excluding Jerusalem from Talks impossible

The issue of Jerusalem cannot be excluded from the final -status talks between the Israelis and the Palestinians, said Egypt's Foreign Minister Amr Moussa Wednesday.

"Statements, attributed to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak in this regard, are negative and are only mere negotiating tactics," said Moussa in statements following the news conference held with US State Secretary Madeleine Albright.

"The basis in the issue of refugees in UN Resolution 194 which stipulates either their return or their compensation," said Moussa.

The issue of refugees, as being axiomatic, should be discussed from the perspective of compensation when raised by the international community," said Moussa.

There is a difference between the "refugees" and the "displaced" and although the Israelis are trying to shrug off their responsibility. They realize that there is a refugees' problem that cannot be overlooked, throughout Bill Clinton's Administration, whether on the Palestinian track or the Syrian one.

"When a progress on the Palestinian and the Syrian tracks is achieved the multilateral talks can then be resumed," added Moussa.

Moussa voiced hope the new round of Palestinian-Israeli talks, slated for the US and called for by Albright, would be fruitful.

He reiterated his comment on Barak's statements in which he refused to incorporate a set of issues into the negotiations with the Palestinians, including return to the June 1967 borders, maintaining unity of Jerusalem under the Israeli sovereignty, keeping Jewish settlements in the West Bank and Gaza under the Israeli mandate and barring the presence of any foreign troops in the west of Jordan River. This is an extremely negative stance, noted Moussa.

Moussa further said that the postponement of peace efforts to the post-US elections would force matters to begin from scratch.

"What Albright can do now is to bring the Palestinians and the Israelis under the US umbrella for the last time under the current US Administration," added Moussa.

"Albright's visit and meeting with Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk al-Shara marks an attempt to build a bridge with Syria once again and coordinate stances with Egypt as well," said Moussa.

"Flexibility is certainly required from both sides in a way that would not tamper with the essentials that constitute the real peace in the present and future," Moussa added.

Moussa expressed hope that neither Damascus nor Beirut would easily swallow the bait of any driving wedge attempts in the post-Israeli pullout.