Tough Mideast talks continue at Camp David

Clinton and Barak continue to negotiate on Wednesday

July 19, 2000
Web posted at: 7:08 p.m. EDT (2308 GMT)

In this story: Israelis: Palestinians not acting like 'real partners' The heart of the matter: Jerusalem Christianity demands a voice 'Last day, there's going to be a lot of this' RELATED STORIES, SITES

CAMP DAVID, Maryland (CNN) -- The Mideast peace summit at Camp David stretched into overtime tonight, with "very intensive discussions" going on between President Bill Clinton, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

"We have worked very hard to find a path to an agreement," said White House spokesman Joe Lockhart. "At this point in time we have not reached that, but the priority for the president right now is to continue to work as hard as he can to make sure that every possible avenue toward an agreement is explored."

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Speaking during a scheduled afternoon news conference, Lockhart said the negotiations are at a "pivotal moment."

"The last 24 hours have involved very intensive discussions, at the leader level, at the negotiator level ..." he said.

Lockhart said Clinton -- who met today with both Arafat and Barak -- still plans to depart for the G-8 economic conference in Japan, and "will have something to say before he leaves for Japan early tomorrow (Thursday) morning."

"They're going to continue to negotiate until they negotiate no more," he said.

Earlier, Lockhart had denied reports Barak had threatened to walk away from the summit without coming to an agreement with Arafat.

"The White House has not been informed of anyone planning to leave," Lockhart told reporters at a news briefing, adding that Barak's office had assured the Americans that no announcement to that effect had come from Jerusalem.

The White House confirmed that Barak sent Clinton a letter, but National Security Council spokesman P.J. Crowley would not disclose what the letter said.

Israeli journalists who had seen a copy of the letter said Barak told Clinton he had come to Camp David to "negotiate in good faith" but that the Palestinians "had not."

Lockhart said, the negotiations continued at "a fever pitch" as the participants tried to construct an agreement before U.S. President Bill Clinton's departure for the Group of Eight global economic summit in Japan.

Clinton, originally scheduled to leave for Japan early Wednesday morning, delayed his departure for 24 hours.

"The parties know what they need to do, and we felt that staying an extra day gave us a better chance of getting there," Lockhart said.

Lockhart added that there were no plans to cancel Clinton's trip to Asia, and that he expected to depart for Okinawa "sometime in the early morning hours of Thursday."

Israelis: Palestinians not acting like 'real partners'

Earlier, Israeli sources said that Barak was prepared to leave the summit Wednesday evening "without an agreement ... because after serious discussions we discovered the other side did not act like real partners for peace."

Ofir Pines, a Labor Party lawmaker and chairman of Barak's governing coalition, said he had been told by delegation sources that Barak was planning to leave -- and added that he did not believe the two sides could reach an accord.

"The Palestinian Authority is not prepared, simply is not prepared, to reach an understanding to reach a peace agreement with Israel," he said on Israeli radio.

The Palestinians, too, expressed discouragement. Their unofficial spokeswoman, Hanan Ashrawi, said from Israel that it would take a "miracle" to get an agreement.

"I think Barak has to undergo serious self-examination because what he has done in many ways is go to Camp David with inflexible, intractable positions," she told Associated Press Television News.

"And then predictably, when the talks do not achieve any kind of solution, he is ready to blame the Palestinians," she said.

But Lockhart brusquely dismissed such reports.

"Those who are in the talks aren't talking. Those who are outside the talks may or may not know what they're talking about," he said. "I've yet to see somebody that's involved in the talks quoted in any of these stories."

The heart of the matter: Jerusalem

Officials indicated that the major snag was the final status of Jerusalem. The Palestinians want to locate their capital in Jerusalem, while the Israelis staunchly say the ancient city will remain solely and forever in Israeli hands.

Palestinian sources said the Israelis have offered to give them "municipal control" or "autonomy" in Arab neighborhoods of eastern Jerusalem, with the Israelis maintaining sovereignty.

Israeli Deputy Defense Minister Ephraim Sneh told CNN that Barak is willing to "share" Jerusalem but "not to redivide" it and charged the Palestinians are attempting to dictate the terms over Jerusalem's future.

"The most emotionally loaded issue is Jerusalem. The wisdom and the responsibility drive us to share Jerusalem, not to redivide Jerusalem. Here lies a problem," Sneh said. "This is the cornerstone in our policy -- Jerusalem, not to redivide. Mr. Barak cannot come home with such a decision."

But the Palestinians called any such arrangement unacceptable. One Palestinian source said the Palestinians must have "sovereignty" in East Jerusalem but the Israelis were only offering "control."

Two other key issues still to be resolved are the Palestinian demand that Israel acknowledge responsibility for the displacement of Palestinians in 1948 and 1967 as well as Barak's demand for an "end of conflict" statement from the Palestinians that the Israelis and Palestinians are finally at peace.

Christianity demands a voice

Meanwhile, Christian leaders in Jerusalem demanded the right to air their issues at the summit. They made the request in a letter dated July 17 and sent to Reuters on Wednesday.

The letter was addressed to Clinton, Barak and Arafat at the summit near Washington.

Latin Patriarch Michel Sabbah, Greek Orthodox Patriarch Diodoros I and Armenian Orthodox Patriarch Torkom II sent the letter.

"It might be well advisable to have representatives from our three Patriarchates and the Custody of the Holy Land at the Camp David summit meeting as much as at any future (forum) in order to provide continuity and consultation on our future and on our rights," the letter said.

The letter said the churches wanted to ensure by their presence at summits that the rights of Christians were "maintained unequivocally and safeguarded fully."

'Last day ... there's going to be a lot of this'

A U.S. official familiar with the talks told CNN that the Americans were "aware of what (the Israelis) are saying, less aware of what they are doing."

That official noted that Barak and Arafat had said all along they would leave when Clinton left.

Another source close to the negotiations said the delay in Clinton's departure for Japan "should not signal that there is an agreement."

A second senior official said the two sides' positioning was no surprise.

"Both parties will over the next several hours position themselves for failure and if they feel the need, just as aggressively position themselves for success," he said.

This official noted that earlier in the week the Palestinians accused the Israelis of not negotiating in good faith and also threatened to pull out of the talks.

"It's the last day, there's going to be a lot of this," this official said.

CNN.com Senior Writer KC Wildmoon, CNN Correspondent Jerrold Kessel, CNN Bureau Chief Mike Hanna, CNN State Department Correspondent Andrea Koppel, CNN Senior White House Correspondent John King and Reuters contributed to this report.

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