Clinton urges Barak to move ahead with fact-finding committee

In this story: Clinton urges fact-finding committee Barak supports interim peace agreement RELATED STORIES, SITES

From CNN White House Correspondent Kelly Wallace

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- U.S. President Bill Clinton phoned Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak Friday and urged him to move ahead with the fact-finding committee charged with determining the causes of the two-month-old flare-up of violence between Israelis and Palestinians.

The five-member committee, led by former Sen. George Mitchell, includes diplomats from the United States, the European Union, Turkey and Norway. Earlier this week, it met separately with Israeli and Palestinian representatives in New York City.

Israeli officials told the Clinton administration last week it would be difficult for the committee to begin its work while the violence continued on the ground continued.

MESSAGE BOARD Mideast peace

Asked about Israel's position about the committee, National Security Council spokesman P.J. Crowley said only that there are "questions that need to be resolved" between the committee and the two sides.

Clinton urges fact-finding committee

Crowley said the fact-finding committee was a major part of the 45-minute discussion between Clinton and Barak. It was their first conversation since they met at the White House before the president departed earlier this month for Hawaii, Brunei and Vietnam.

In another development Friday afternoon, Samuel Berger, the president's national security adviser, met for about an hour with Yossi Beilin, Israel's justice minister. Earlier, Beilin met with U.S. Undersecretary of State Thomas Pickering and Dennis Ross, U.S. Middle East peace envoy.

The president and Barak discussed the situation on the ground and the importance of implementing the ceasefire agreement negotiated in October in Sharm el-Sheik, Egypt, Crowley said. In addition, they discussed their desires to find a way back to the peace process, he said.

Crowley related that Barak said he was interested in pursuing a way to negotiations and a peace agreement with the Palestinians.

Barak supports interim peace agreement

Barak indicated his support Thursday for an interim peace agreement with the Palestinians. It would recognize a Palestinian state and leave thorny issues such as the fate of Jerusalem and millions of refugees to be settled later, if a comprehensive deal was not possible.

The Palestinians, however, responded by saying they would support only a comprehensive agreement on all final status issues.

The Clinton administration, for its part, would only say it is prepared to do whatever it can over its remaining seven weeks to help the parties reach an agreement if that's what they want to do.

Asked about the possibility of a summit with all three leaders, Crowley said the administration has not "ruled out any option."

Crowley said the president told Barak the administration would push hard to get Congress to approve a supplemental aid bill for the Middle East, when lawmakers return for a lame-duck session next week.

The package includes $450 million for Israel, $225 million for Egypt and $75 million for Jordan.

Crowley said the White House will "encourage" lawmakers to act on the package before recessing for the year.

Asked if the unresolved U.S. presidential election came up during the call, Crowley would only say that "electoral issues did come up ... both theirs and ours."

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  • Near Eastern Affairs: Middle East Peace Process
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Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs
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