Middle East negotiators were wrapping up a round of bilateral talks here this week that has been tarnished by regional violence and public charges of blame for undermining the prospects for peace.
Some of the parties said they were disappointed in the paltry results of the round and by Tuesday none had accepted a U.S. invitation to reconvene the talks next month.
But some analysts cautioned against pessimism. They said that progress cannot and should not be measured round for round and that the fact that the talks are continuing is itself a breakthrough. They also said the pace reflects a natural slowdown during the presidential transition of the talks’ chief sponsor.
“Everyone is looking for results in every session, but that is a mistake” said Judith Kipper, Middle East scholar for the Brookings Institution. “People have to have a perspective. There are painful decisions to be made that will take a long time.”
“The talks have gone from high speed to cruise control,” Kipper continued, and the parties “are only now starting to understand the complexity of the issues.”
There had been hopes that Israel and Syria would reach an agreement of principles before the end of the round that would form the basis for the negotiation of a peace treaty.
But those hopes were dashed with a series of sharp exchanges between Israel and Syria in the wake of violence in southern Lebanon and the administered territories.
Last weekend, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin charged that Syrian President Hafez Assad was undermining the peace talks by allowing the Islamic fundamentalist Hezbollah to launch rocket attacks against Israel. The strongholds of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah guerrillas are controlled by Syria.
Israel retaliated for the attacks in raids the Lebanese protested as excessive. Once the rocket attacks stopped, the Israelis pulled back.
Rabin called for a gesture from Assad that would allay Israeli doubts about striking a deal with Syria that involves giving up part of the Golan Heights. Days later, a massive protest in Tel Aviv against concessions on the Golan was a clear sign of the internal resistance the Israeli leader confronts.
On Monday, Syria’s chief negotiator in the talks lashed back with the accusation that Rabin is the party “blocking peace” because he refuses to commit to withdrawal from the Golan.
Rabin has said repeatedly that Israel is willing to withdraw from part of the strategic plateau. But he has said he will not spell out the concessions until Syria details the nature of the peace it envisions in return.
Likewise, the head of Israel’s negotiating team with Syria, Itamar Rabinovich, said Monday that Syria’s “insistence on full withdrawal, without any willingness to elaborate on or elucidate peace” is “a recipe for no progress.”
He said the Syrian leadership could advance the process by “a series of measures” that would “indicate publicly a transition to a policy of peace.”
Rabinovich said the Israelis’ persistence apparently had paid off in a new understanding by Syria of “why it is important for us to hear more about peace before we can clarify more about withdrawal.”
Syrian negotiators appear to have hardened their posture during the consultations in Damascus during the recess for the U.S. presidential elections. The Israelis believe they will try to stall until they have a chance to take stock of the incoming administration.
Rabin has also accused Palestine Liberation Organization leader Yasir Arafat of purposely stalling the Palestinian track of the talks until Bill Clinton assumes the presidency.
Clinton has maintained a discreet distance from the talks, though he frequently has reiterated his strong support for the peace process. The Bush State Department, meanwhile, is trying to cajole the parties forward.
Some analysts say the Palestinians are playing for time until they consolidate their authority back home.
But a Palestinian press attache said the delegation is eager to press ahead in the talks on an interim Palestinian self-government, and that it is the Israelis who are playing for time.
“We had hoped for more concrete proposals in the seventh round for a self- governing authority and for human rights, and we are not encouraged,” he said.
He also disputed the charge that the delegation was stalling because it lacks a mandate. He said the majority of Palestinians support the talks, but added that the support “is not open-ended.”
“The people are frustrated by the talks,” he said. He said the Palestinian negotiators told the Israelis this week that recent, highly publicized gestures by the Rabin government to improve living conditions in the territories were symbolic and that the residents needed to see a more vigorous protection of their human rights.
The Israelis were more optimistic about the gains made in this track. They said they had broken up into groups discussing human rights, land, the economy and the administration of law in the territories under interim Palestinian authority.
“If someone thinks they will be able to show progress on a daily basis, they are wrong,” said Ruth Yaron, the Israeli Embassy spokeswoman. “But the fact that we are sitting with Palestinians in informal working groups” and discussing details on a wide range of issues signifies real progress, she said.
In the talks between the Lebanese and the Israelis, chief Israeli negotiator Uri Lubrani reported “relief and satisfaction” on both sides at the de- escalation of the border conflict.
Last week Lubrani issued a tough warning to the Lebanese delegation that Israel would “make life intolerable” on their side of the border if the Hezbollah attacks continued.
This week he said he made it “very clear” that progress at the talks could be made only through a peace treaty and that “tranquility” on the border would enhance the talks and prospects for such a treaty.
He also reported the Israelis submitted a revised proposal for a meeting between Israeli and Lebanese military officers to discuss security problems along their common border.
The highlight of this round of talks remained an agreement reached between Israel and Jordan on an agenda on which to base the negotiation of a peace treaty. The negotiators this week began to address the first item on the agenda, sharing water resources.
As of late Tuesday, the parties would not commit themselves to returning for the next round in December.
Yaron said Israel had made very clear its commitment to show up if the Arabs decide to return, while the Syrian negotiators said they were waiting for instructions from Damascus.
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