Shamir Rejects an Egyptian Offer to Mediate Between PLO and Israel

An Egyptian offer to mediate between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization got a strong rebuff Monday from Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir.

But the Egyptian official who delivered it here, Butros Ghali, ended his two-day visit to Israel on a cautiously optimistic note.

He made it clear that Egypt was not rejecting Israel’s peace initiative, though it was turned down flatly by some 30 Palestinian dignitaries with whom he met.

Ghali, who is Egypt’s minister of state for foreign affairs, told reporters there were positive as well as negative aspects to the Israeli plan, which among other things calls for Palestinian elections in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

If the negative aspects can be corrected, the plan could serve as a suitable base for a dialogue to start between the Palestinians and Israelis, he said.

Above all, he stressed, a great deal of patience is needed.

The mediation offer was contained in a letter from Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, delivered by Ghali at his meetings with Shamir and Foreign Minister Moshe Arens.

Both declared unequivocally Monday that Israel would never, under any circumstances, have any dealings with the PLO.

While Ghali was in Jerusalem, PLO leader Yasir Arafat made an unexpected visit to Cairo for a talk with Mubarak.

Arens denounced the PLO as the main obstacle to peace in the area. “They are terrorizing the local population,” he said, adding that Israel views anything that enhances the PLO’s image to be a negative development for peace.

LIKUD VOTE SET JULY 4

Shamir, who is having great difficulty convincing his own party to support the proposed Palestinian elections in the territories, promised the Likud Central Committee that if any of those elected take their orders from the PLO they would go straight to jail.

But Ghali, a veteran of Middle East diplomacy, is well aware that adamancy can be followed by moderation, as was the case with Israel’s return of all of Sinai to Egypt, which some of its top leaders had vowed never to do.

Therefore, he appeared not to take his host’s rhetoric entirely at face value. He seemed to understand that Shamir and Arens cannot be too forthcoming when they face a serious challenge to their policies within the Likud.

The Likud Central Committee is scheduled to convene on July 4 for a vote of confidence on Shamir’s plan. Arens warned Monday that if the plan was rejected, Shamir would resign and the government would fall.

Similarly, Ghali did not seem ruffled by the Palestinians’ firm rejection of the Israeli peace plan. He appeared to hold out hope that the Palestinians could change their attitude toward the initiative, given certain concessions.

The Egyptian minister had cause to be pleased that prominent Palestinians met with him. It indicated they once again have confidence in Egypt as an honest broker for peace.

Ghali returned to Cairo on Monday night with an invitation from Israeli President Chaim Herzog for President Mubarak to visit Jerusalem.

But Egypt pointed out once again that its relations with Israel are clearly linked to the Palestinian issue.

“Do not expect an improvement in the relations before we witness the beginning of progress toward solving the Palestinian problem,” were Ghali’s parting words to reporters in Israel.