Former President Jimmy Carter, who ended a five-day visit to Israel Tuesday, said some Israelis have misconceptions about a proposed international conference for Middle East peace. He said such a conference would be no deviation from the Camp David accords, but rather a step forward within their framework and spirit.
Carter spoke to reporters Monday after receiving an honorary Ph.D. degree from Haifa University, presented by its president, Ephraim Evron, a former Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. He said the fears expressed by “some Israelis” over the portents of an international conference were the result of “inadequate analysis of the opportunities.”
The issue has not been sufficiently debated in Israel, Carter said. Therefore many believe an international conference would force Israel to return to its 1967 borders. According to Carter, each participating state would be guaranteed the right to make its own decisions and not have them imposed.
The conference should lead to bilateral negotiations between Israel and each of the Arab states. If those talks break down, the issues could be referred back to the full forum, Carter said.
The former President was accompanied to Ben Gurion Airport Tuesday by Ezer Weizman, who, as Israel’s Defense Minister in 1978, participated in the Camp David negotiations.
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