U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher arrived in Israel on Thursday for his 13th round of regional shuttle diplomacy.
His arrival was framed in an atmosphere of optimism, with Christopher saying that negotiations between Israel and Syria were on the brink of a “new and important phase.”
Speaking to reporters after meeting with Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin here, Christopher said he was convinced there was now an opportunity for “real progress” on the Israeli-Syrian track.
Israel and Syria reached a procedural breakthrough in late May in their negotiations about an Israeli withdrawal from the Golan Heights. High-ranking military officials will reportedly resume talks in Washington on June 27. Similar talks in Washington were abruptly halted in December.
Christopher said the decision to renew the military talks was proof of the seriousness of both sides to make progress.
He confirmed that he would be attending a three-way summit in Cairo on Friday with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.
Rabin told reporters that he had received a call the day before from President Clinton, who conveyed to him “his impressions of an improved mood on the part of the Syrians.”
Rabin said talks with Syria are addressing the need for future security arrangements to prevent any surprise attacks or border incidents in the wake of an Israeli pullback on the Golan.
Earlier in the day, Christopher was greeted by Foreign Minister Shimon Peres, who also sounded upbeat.
Peres told reporters that the scheduled security discussions with Syria could be the key for bringing about “a complete peace in the Middle East.”
In Damascus, the official media also gave a positive tone to Christopher’s latest shuttle mission.
The Syrian government newspaper Al-Thawra hailed American efforts to broker a treaty with Israel and said Christopher’s current visit was very important. The paper reported that Syria promised to cooperate with Christopher during his present mission.
After visiting Israel and Egypt, Christopher plans to visit Syria, where he is scheduled to meet with President Hafez Assad on Saturday.
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