Barak blames Arafat for talks failure

Barak tells Israelis he takes full responsibility

At a Camp David news conference, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak explained why he thought negotiations with the Palestinians had ended without agreement. Blaming Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, Mr Barak was also at pains to point out that any concessions offered during the negotiations would no longer be valid.

The following are excerpts from Mr Barak's statement, as broadcast live by Israeli TV.

Citizens of Israel, the summit at Camp David ended this morning without an agreement...

The Israeli Government, and I as prime minister, acted in the course of the summit out of a moral and personal commitment and of a supreme national duty to do all that was possible to bring about the end of the conflict - not at all costs, and while strengthening the State of Israel and its capital, Jerusalem.

No concessions

The dream of peace is not dead, but it has sustained a severe blow as a result of Palestinian intransigence.

There are three things on which we are not prepared to make concessions: Israel's security, Israel's sanctities and the nation's unity.

If we are faced with the choice of harming one of those and going to a confrontation, the choice is clear to every Israeli...

Arafat 'afraid'

Arafat was afraid to make the historic decisions required at this time in order to bring about the end of the conflict.

Positions which came up during the summit are inapplicable ... as an opening point for negotiations, when these resume

Arafat's positions on the issue of Jerusalem are what prevented the attainment of an agreement.

As prime minister I bear overall responsibility for Israel's positions, as they were presented in the summit, just as I would have stood behind every comprehensive agreement, however tough it might have been, if it had been attained.

Supreme responsibility

I bear supreme responsibility for the results of this summit, and for the fact that we don't yet have an agreement in hand and that we will have to go on working towards achieving one.

There is no argument but that the Israeli Government was prepared to try and go all the way in order to indeed achieve peace.

Ideas, opinions, and even positions which came up in the course of the summit are inapplicable and unacceptable as an opening point for negotiations, when these resume. In English, I would say that they are all invalid.

Period of uncertainty

Hope should not be lost. The dream of peace is not dead, but it has sustained a severe blow as a result of Palestinian intransigence.

The Palestinians must take action to deal with extremists, and both sides must act together to prevent a slide into violence ...

We are at the end of an important phase in the peace process and at the start of a period which contains quite some uncertainty.

Strong and united, aware of our determination and our justice, we will march into the period ahead of us with a secure step.

We will stand up for our security, and we will continue to work with determination to bring peace to Israel and a secure future to the families and the children of all.

BBC Monitoring, 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.