Secretary of State James Baker returned Sunday from his visit to the Middle East convinced there is a chance for progress in resolving the Arab-Israeli conflict because of the high standing the United States enjoys in the region in the aftermath of the Persian Gulf crisis.
“There is an enhanced credibility out there for the United States that might make possible some progress in some of these very, very intractable areas and problems that we have faced for a long time,” Baker said Sunday on the ABC television program “This Week with David Brinkley.”
During his 10-day trip, Baker visited Israel, where he met with Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir, Foreign Minister David Levy and a group of Palestinians; Syria, where he also met with Lebanese officials; Saudi Arabia; Egypt; Kuwait; Qatar; the United Arab Emirates; Oman; and Bahrain. He also visited the Soviet Union and Turkey.
“I believe there is a sense on the part of most, if not all, of the governments I visited that this is a window of opportunity,” Baker said.
He now plans to follow up his visit with telephone calls to leaders of the region in which he is expected to make specific proposals based on his talks with Israeli and Arab leaders.
Baker is revealing few details about his specific proposals. Doing so, he said, could force the parties concerned to respond negatively.
CONFIDENCE-BUILDING MEASURES
But he did explain the path which he is exploring.
“One of the things we have done on this trip was to suggest that the parties to the conflict consider reciprocal confidence-building measures,” he said on the ABC program.
“There should be specific measures considered by Arab governments and specific measures considered by Israel,” he said. He added that on a separate track, Israel and the Palestinians should move toward a “direct dialogue on negotiations.”
The secretary said Israel and the Arab states should act simultaneously on these steps. “Nobody should have to go first,” he said.
“They ought to be willing to move together, and they ought to abandon old rigid formulas and rigid stereotypes that have prevented peace for to these many years,” he said.
While Baker did not reveal his suggestions Sunday, reports during his trip suggested that he had asked the Arab countries to announce an end to their state of belligerency with Israel and drop the economic boycott of the Jewish state.
Baker admitted Sunday that although “there has been a change in the region,” none of the Arab leaders is ready to recognize Israel yet.
In Jerusalem, he reportedly suggested that Israel build confidence by reopening universities in the West Bank, shut down during the intifada, and by halting the building of new settlements.
Baker said the United States sees the building of Jewish settlements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip or “the directing or diverting of new immigrants there as de facto annexation.”
He explained that would be “changing the facts and circumstances on the ground in the absence of negotiations between the parties which would be designed to solve this Arab-Israeli conflict.”
SOVIETS SHOULD RESTORE TIES TO ISRAEL
Baker stressed that the United States cannot impose a solution on the region. “But we should be able to serve as a catalyst in helping, hopefully now more than ever.”
He said the Soviet Union can be helpful in the Middle East process, but only if it restores full diplomatic relations with Israel.
“They are seriously thinking about it,” he said.
If the Soviets “want to be effective and helpful in trying to bring about peace in the Middle East, this is something they ought to do,” the secretary said.
“If they are going to be players and participate and try to help move the process forward, they ought to have the credibility that would come with full relations with Israel,” he said.
Baker ruled out any role for the Palestine Liberation Organization. He said the United States broke off its dialogue with the PLO last June because Yasir Arafat would not condemn a foiled terrorist attack last May 30 on Tel Aviv beaches.
He said Arafat and the PLO would have to take even more steps now because of their support for Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait.
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