US views on immediate Wye implementation

US State Department Spokesman James Rubin said yesterday that a message sent by United States President Bill Clinton to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak was meant to speed implementation of the Wye River accord.

"There are some reports that the President's letter to Prime Minister Barak was designed to pressure Israel to implement the Wye agreement immediately without change. These characterizations from this letter are inaccurate," Rubin said.

He said, "Our position has been that Wye should be implemented. The Prime Minister himself has been -- also -- very consistent. He has made it clear that he intends to fulfill Israel's commitments, and that he will implement the Wye River Memorandum. He has ideas about the best ways and means of implementing Wye, and he is quite appropriately engaging the Palestinians directly on the best ways and means of implementing that agreement.

The fact is that Israelis and Palestinians are now negotiating directly, seriously, in good faith, and without any pressure from either side. That is the kind of procedural approach that we've been looking for, for some time."

Rubin added "What we've said is that if the - the Prime Minister has said that if agreement is not achieved on some minor or significant modification of Wye, then he will go ahead and implement it as is." He added "So that assurance was made by the Prime Minister, publicly, in a statement last week. As you know, the Secretary offered to postpone her trip at his request at the same time."

Rubin added about possible modifications by Israel to the agreement "We have no problem with the idea that the Israelis can propose minor modifications; that those discussions can go on; and that if those modifications are not mutually agreed, that the Israelis will implement Wye, as written, in full. We have no problem with that."

Meanwhile, Rubin said that a visit by Palestinian officials to the US is still planned, but that the date for the visit has not yet been set.