The Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat, is in Washington for talks with President Clinton, in the latest attempt to break the deadlock in the Middle East peace process. Talks earlier this week between President Clinton and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ended with no sign of progress. Below is a round-up of reports and comment from Middle Eastern media:

Netanyahu back from USA, no date set for more contacts

Excerpts from report by Israel radio on 22nd January

Prime Minister Benjanin Netanyahu has returned to Israel from his visit to the United States ...

Our political correspondent Yoni Ben-Menahem reports that prior to his departure from the United States, the prime minister met Secretary of State Albright at the airport and spoke to President Clinton on the telephone.

Latest talks failed to end deadlock

Cabinet Secretary Dani Nave said that in the Albright-Netanyahu meeting, the sides discussed the agreements reached during the prime minister's visit and defined the gaps that still remain.

No decisions have been made yet about a timetable for continued contacts with the United States.

Dani Nave said that the US Administration will assess the situation following Yasir Arafat's talks in Washington and will decide on the continuation of the contacts based on the responses it receives from Arafat ...

Source: Voice of Israel, Jerusalem, in Hebrew 1300 gmt 22 Jan 98

Egypt: Peace process in "vicious circle", says Cairo radio

Excerpts from commentary by Egyptian radio on 22nd January

Obviously Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, supported by the extremists among his cabinet members and in Israel in general, has succeeded in placing the peace process in such a vicious circle that emerging from it would require Netanyahu and his cabinet to change their policies and positions completely, so that the peace process might resume, if this process ever will.

The Palestinian party realizes all the dimensions of the situation and, in view of all signs, understands that it is futile to negotiate with Netanyahu ...

It can truly be said, even though the results of Arafat's meeting with President Clinton are not yet known, and in view of reports on the results of the Clinton-Netanyahu meeting, that the Washington talks, which some people considered to be the last chance for the peace process, have not made any progress.

Netanyahu himself admitted this and turned down all US proposals in two meetings with President Clinton.

In view of this the question now posed by many people is: What next?

We do not want to engage in speculation that is not based on tangible realities.

But we can emphasize that under the Netanyahu government there is a slim hope, rather no hope exists, that the peace process can be resumed in accordance with the terms of reference in the agreements reached in Madrid, Oslo, and elsewhere ...

We return to our question regarding the fate of the peace process: What next? No-one has the answer to this question. But the logical rule is that a prelude indicates a conclusion.

All the preludes assert that the Likud government, led by Netanyahu, wants peace built on the debris of all the legitimate rights of the Palestinian, Syrian, and Lebanese peoples, plus their right to their land, as well as their political and human rights.

This is impossible unless we empty these Arab countries of their peoples. This policy will have grave consequences for everyone, including Israel.

Source: Arab Republic of Egypt Radio, Cairo, in Arabic 1240 gmt 22 Jan 98

Israeli source says Netanyahu-Clinton talks "war of attrition"

Excerpt from report by Israel radio on 21st January

... Various ideas are being discussed in a lengthy series of meetings between Benjamin Netanyahu, the members of his entourage and senior US officials, including Vice-President Al Gore, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, and National Security Adviser Sandy Berger.

Our correspondents report that the United States is prepared for Israel to carry out a phased second redeployment in conjunction with the gradual implementation of the Palestinian commitments.

At the same time, Washington is asking Israel to begin implementing the withdrawal immediately as a show of goodwill. Meanwhile, the Palestinians will start upholding their side of the agreement.

A source in the prime minister's entourage described the prolonged meetings between Netanyahu and the US officials as a war of attrition and claimed that the Americans are trying to extort concessions from the prime minister.

The source noted that so far, the Americans have failed to extract any concessions from Mr Netanyahu.

Source: Voice of Israel, Jerusalem, in Hebrew 0500 gmt 21 Jan 98

Syrian press says ball in Israel's court

Text of report by Syrian radio on 21st January

Yasir Arafat: President Clinton had hoped to present him with Israeli proposals

An article entitled: What Happens After the Washington Meeting? in the newspaper `Al-Ba'th' addresses the prospects of the peace process following the US president's meeting with the Israeli prime minister.

It notes that Netanyahu remarked that he and President Clinton failed to arrive at any conclusion. `Al-Ba'th' maintains that the forthcoming stage will open the doors to important international roles, which, in the past, tried to prove their effectiveness in terms of setting the peace process in motion.

It says that these roles do not clash with the US role; rather, they are based on cooperation with the United Nations. It notes that the objective of a just and comprehensive peace is the most salient of all.

`Al-Ba'th' notes that new information has leaked about Netanyahu's visit to Washington - information that highlights the broad lines of US foreign policy in the near future.

It concludes its editorial by saying: What is urgently needed in the near future is a warming up of peace efforts by opening the door wide to European and other roles in order to attain the justice and right sought by the world.

`Tishrin' newspaper's editorial, headlined: The Ball Is In Israel's Court, touches on the same subject.

It asserts that all indications show that Netanyahu will persist in his obduracy in the peace process and its obligations.

It says the peace process can be salvaged only through a firm and conclusive stance towards Israel, which is responsible for exposing the peace process to setbacks and regression ever since the rise of the Netanyahu government to power.

`Tishrin' says that Netanyahu has not only torpedoed and destroyed the peace process, but he has placed a serious and heavy burden on the United States, given that it is the author of the land-for-peace principle and a sponsor of the peace process.

It says it is time all sides revised their positions on the Israeli policy, security pretexts, alleged security interests, and giving security precedence over peace.

It blames Israel for throwing the peace process into the unknown. If the peace process is to return to its normal and real path, then the ball is in the Israeli court.

Netanyahu must subscribe to the land-for-peace principle and international legitimacy.

Source: Syrian Arab Republic Radio, Damascus, in Arabic 0540 gmt 21 Jan 98

BBC Monitoring(http://www.monitor.bbc.co.uk), based in Caversham in southern England, selects and translates information from radio, television, press, news agencies and the Internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages.
 

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