Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, June 15, 1990 TAG: 9006150228
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-10 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: From Cox News Service and The Washington Post
DATELINE: LENGTH: Short
As many as 8,000 callers dialed the presidential home late Wednesday, finally forcing operators to surrender and turn on an automatic "thank-you" tape, said White House spokesman Marlin Fitzwater on Thursday.
Baker pointedly gave out the telephone number Wednesday on Capitol Hill as he voiced his exasperation with the stalled peace efforts in the Middle East. Saying President Bush is waiting to hear from the Israeli government, Baker added with heavy sarcasm: "Everybody over there should know that the telephone number is 1-202-456-1414. When you're serious about peace, call us."
Israeli officials said Thursday that Baker had misinterpreted a statement by Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir. Baker, reacting to excerpts from an interview with Shamir published in the Jerusalem Post, suggested the Israeli leader had created new preconditions for Israeli-Palestinian talks.
Israeli officials insisted Thursday, however, that Shamir had yet to formulate his new administration's next steps in the peace process.
Shamir's government did not call the White House. The thousands of Americans who did "were on all sides of the issue," said Fitzwater.
by CNB