Clinton to convene summit next week with Israelis, Palestinians

Camp David is site for Barak-Arafat meeting

July 5, 2000
Web posted at: 11:16 a.m. EDT (1516 GMT)

In this story: Barak appeals to Blair Jerusalem, Palestinian borders are key points RELATED STORIES, SITES

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- U.S. President Bill Clinton will convene a summit next Tuesday with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to resolve a stalemate in Mideast peace talks.

At a White House briefing Wednesday, Clinton said the meeting would take place at Camp David, the Maryland presidential retreat where Israel and Egypt negotiated a landmark peace agreement in the late 1970s.

The announcement ended weeks of speculation about whether the president would call the two leaders together this summer ahead of a September 13 deadline to secure a peace agreement.

AUDIO Barak comments on upcoming peace talks with the Palestinians during his visit with British Prime Minister Blair 1.4MB/30 sec. AIFF or WAV sound     MESSAGE BOARD Mideast peace

Clinton said the current talks are at the point where it's time to make tough decisions. Only Barak and Arafat have the authority to move forward, he said.

"While Israeli and Palestinian negotiators have made real progress, crystallizing issues and defining gaps, the truth is they can take the talks no further at their level," Clinton said. "Significant differences remain."

Secretary of State Madeleine Albright shuttled between Barak and the Palestinians last week in an effort to gauge the prospects for success if Clinton brought them together. U.S. officials had said they would not consider a summit unless it appeared likely to produce tangible results.

Barak has been enthusiastic in endorsing face-to-face meetings. Arafat has appeared more reluctant, and he declared last month he was ready to declare an independent Palestinian state regardless of what happened in peace talks.

Barak appeals to Blair

In a bid to counter any unilateral move by the Palestinians, Barak traveled to London on Wednesday to meet with British Prime Minister Tony Blair. He said he urged Blair to discourage Arafat from making a unilateral declaration of statehood.

The men met privately at Blair's residence at 10 Downing Street, and Blair did not speak to reporters. British officials were not immediately available to comment on Barak's visit.

In remarks after the meeting, Barak told reporters he prefers to resolve all differences with the Palestinians at the bargaining table.

"I believe that it is the only way that is congruent with the spirit and letter of the agreement, and this is our position," he said. "Everything should be decided around the negotiating table."

He cautioned that Israel was prepared to react if the Palestinians strike out on their own.

"I repeat what I have said in Israel more than once -- that if a unilateral decision is taken by one side, then we will have to respond with our own steps," he said.

Barak later left for France, where he was to meet with President Jacques Chirac. Arafat already has met with Chirac to lobby for France's recognition of a Palestinian state.

France has just assumed the rotating leadership of the European Union. Barak was expected to urge Chirac to hold off on any unilateral recognition on the grounds that such a Palestinian state would not work.

Jerusalem, Palestinian borders are key points

As he contemplates an ultimate peace agreement with Arafat, Barak is balancing a fractured coalition government at home.

He insisted Wednesday he is committed to the process regardless of Israel's political atmosphere.

"Even if only a quarter of the Knesset will support me, and only nine ministers remain, I will still be able to come up with a good agreement with the Palestinians, present it to the people and receive a sweeping majority," he said.

On Monday, the Palestinian Liberation Organization's Central Council called on Arafat to move toward a declaration of statehood on September 13. It did not, however, request a unilateral declaration of statehood.

Israel and the Palestinians are stalled over several issues including the borders of a future Palestinian state and the fate of Jerusalem. The status of Palestinian refugees also is a debate point.

CNN White House Correspondent Kelly Wallace and Reuters contributed to this report.

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