Hopeful Clinton Rejoins Mideast Summit

T H U R M O N T, Md., July 14 -- A fourth day of Middle East summit talks opened today with officials conceding the pace may slow down as some Muslim, Jewish, and Christian negotiators observe their respective Sabbaths today, tomorrow and Sunday.

But the American hosts say the work of peacemaking will not stop, with rounds of discussions at Camp David continuing to bring together mix-and-match groupings of officials.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak met privately with Palestinian chairman Yasser Arafat on Wednesday, and U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright has convened sessions with both sides. But U.S. spokesmen have tried to dampen the rumors, warning reporters not to read too much into the ebb and flow of meetings.

Rumors About Maps

Today, the mountaintop was shrouded in morning fog and in a continuing news blackout. But speculation swirled around the camp, and press reports in the Middle East were full of news leaks and guesses about Middle East maps.

The Jerusalem Post suggests there is new discussion of “land-for-land” swaps in which Israel might claim territory on which there are Jewish settlements, in exchange for Israeli land that would be given over to be part of a new Palestinian state.

In Israel, Cabinet minister Haim Ramon, a Barak confidant, saidsuch a land swap was on the table at Camp David. It was the firsttime an Israeli official had publicly acknowledged willingness inprinciple to consider such a deal.

White House spokesman Joe Lockhart refused comment on Ramon’s remarks.

The Jerusalem Post also quotes Arab and Israeli sources speculating that the boundaries of the city of Jerusalem could be redrawn and enlarged so that Israel and the Palestinians could each claim a portion without technically dividing the capital city.

Others Want In

Throughout the summit, the White House has insisted on seclusion and privacy for the delegations.

But Israeli and Palestinians opposition figures may seek to break the isolation from the outside world that has prevailed so far. Several Palestinian opposition officials have flown to Washington, D.C., and reportedly sought to meet with Arafat, and today Limor Livnat, an Israeli Knesset member from the opposition Likud party, appeared at the Thurmont elementary school that serves as a press briefing center for the summit and spoke with reporters there.