Albright hails Barak's 'courage and vision' in negotiations

In this story: Negotiators seek 'common ground' Ben Ami: respect Israel's position RELATED STORIES

NEW YORK (CNN) -- For the second time in a week, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright Monday hailed Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak as the driving force behind progress made between the Israelis and the Palestinians at the Camp David peace summit in July.

"Because of Prime Minister Barak's courage and vision at Camp David, the parties made unprecedented progress towards agreement on matters they had not before seriously discussed," she said.

Albright made her comments at a dinner in honor of former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres, whom she called "one of the ... bravest and most principled political leaders of our time."

Saluting Peres' vision of a Middle East "where borders are open, governments cooperate ... and religious freedom reigns," Albright noted the work Israeli and Palestinian negotiators are doing "to find common ground on the most difficult issues."

"It's no secret that Jerusalem is one of those issues," she said. "This should not be surprising giving the Holy City's unique importance to Jews, Muslims and Christians alike. But those who would despair of agreement on Jerusalem despair of peace itself."

Last week, at a reception with New York's Jewish community, Albright credited Barak's "courage and vision" for the progress the parties have made toward a settlement.

The Clinton administration was unable to break the impasse during two days of talks last week, during which U.S. officials met separately with Israeli and Palestinian negotiators. The parties are expected to continue their talks back in the region for the next several weeks.

Israel's acting Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami rejected Friday a proposal Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat presented to Clinton for Islamic sovereignty over holy sites in Jerusalem, saying the "idea doesn't look as a real starter for a solution."

In his speech Monday to the United Nations General Assembly, Ben Ami said that, while "the Jewish holy sites and shrines in Jerusalem are the very heart of the Jewish faith, identity and history," Israel does "not claim exclusivity on all the holy sites."

But Ben Ami added that the Jews' own "deep, awesome attachment" to Jerusalem and its holy sites must be respected.

He also called on the Palestinians to accept that no future Israeli prime minister would make as many concessions to the Palestinians as has Ehud Barak, and said that "time is an elusive and perishable commodity."

Palestinian and Israeli negotiators remain in New York for peace talks
September 16, 2000
Barak: A man for all reasons?
September 12, 2000
Barak on Mideast peace: It's up to Arafat
September 8, 2000

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