Israel is ready and eager to settle its dispute with Egypt over Taba by compromise, before a five-member international arbitration panel issues its binding ruling, expected some time this month.
That was stated officially Wednesday following consultations on the matter between Premier Yitzhak Shamir, Foreign Minister Shimon Peres and Defense Minister Yitzhak Rabin.
But the three government leaders have failed to agree on the nature of the compromise, and it is in fact doubtful that Egypt is interested in one at this late stage.
The U.S. State Department’s legal adviser, Abraham Sofaer, has been shuttling between Jerusalem and Cairo for the past two weeks to promote a compromise agreement. Peres and Rabin are reportedly amenable to Sofaer’s proposal that Egypt be given sovereignty over Taba while Israel would continue to operate two resorts it built there.
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