Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 4, 1990 TAG: 9003042186
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: The Washington Post
DATELINE: JERUSALEM LENGTH: Medium
Shamir, who for months resisted efforts by the United States and Egypt to set up the Cairo negotiations, did not openly take a stand on the issue at Saturday night's meeting, informed sources said. However, the sources said several of Shamir's allies spoke in favor of the talks, and that the prime minister is expected to support the plan himself when the Likud meeting resumes on Monday.
The government is due to reach a formal decision next week on the talks after weeks of intensive debate in Israel that have threatened to split the Likud or break up its governing coalition with the Labor Party. Today, Shamir and Foreign Minister Moshe Arens are to discuss the issue with Labor Party leaders Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Rabin.
According to official sources, Shamir is inclined to accept a formula proposed by U.S. Secretary of State James Baker under which Israel would agree to negotiate with a delegation of Palestinians from the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip selected on "a name-by-name basis" in joint talks among Israel, the United States and Egypt. The focus of the talks in Cairo will be on how to implement Israel's pending plan to hold elections in the territories.
Israel's election plan, which was first proposed by Shamir nearly a year ago, is intended to lead to the selection of a delegation of Palestinians that will negotiate self-rule in the territories, and eventually, a final peace settlement with Israel. Although the preliminary talks in Cairo are meant to establish only how the elections will be held, they would have broad significance as the first formal negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.
If Israel accepts Baker's formula, the next step in the process would be for Baker, Egyptian Foreign Minister Esmat Abdel Meguid and Israeli Foreign Minister Moshe Arens to decide on the composition of the Palestinian delegation and final details of the talks. Officials here and in Washington say they expect that meeting will be convened this month.
Until now, Shamir has been reluctant to agree to formulas proposed by the United States and Egypt for the Cairo talks because they appeared to give the Palestine Liberation Organization an indirect role in the process. Although no PLO leaders or members will participate, Cairo and Washington have been consulting the PLO about the form of the talks and the composition of the Palestinian delegation.
But Shamir has come under heavy pressure from the United States and the Labor Party, which threatened last week to break up their coalition government if Likud did not accept the plan. Shamir has faced strong opposition to the talks within Likud, which has been in turmoil since a central committee meeting on the peace process three weeks ago ended in a shouting match between Shamir and hard-line leader Ariel Sharon.
Egypt reportedly induced the PLO leadership under chairman Yasser Arafat to accept the latest formula several weeks ago.
Officials here said the last and most difficult obstacle to the talks has been whether the Palestinian delegation will include representatives from Arab East Jerusalem. Israel, which has annexed East Jerusalem, rejects Palestinian demands that such representatives be included.
Sources said the latest formula, proposed by Baker, calls for all Palestinian delegates to be official residents of areas outside Jerusalem, but says that at least one should be connected to the city by a second home or office. Officials said that while Shamir had now accepted this formula, it was not clear whether it would be endorsed by the Palestinians.
by CNB