Hopeful Clinton Rejoins Mideast Summit

T H U R M O N T, Md., July 14, 2000 -- 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.

Arafat traveled to the United States with a large entourage, including some political opponents, in what was seen as an effort to broaden his base of support for any deal that is struck. But Lockhart said he knew of no new arrivals to Camp David having been cleared by security. However, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said Thursday that arrangements could be made to bring in outside experts as needed.

Right-of-center Knesset member Livnat, who wanted to tell reporters that she was “obviously ... concerned about what’s going on because this is the first time that Jerusalem is negotiated on the table in a summit,” was immediately surrounded by cameras and tape recorders, even as a State Department press officer tried to break up the media gaggle. Officials have tried to enforce a “no spin” rule at the summit, arguing that “no news is good news” if the negotiations are to succeed.

Hope of Reconciliation

President Clinton spent Thursday night at Camp David after brief trips to Baltimore and Washington in the afternoon. During speaking engagements there, he told audiences that Palestinian-Israeli reconciliation is achievable. He compared the Middle East situation to the United States’ relationship with Vietnam — 25 years after fighting a bitter war, the two countries have signed a trade agreement.

The U.S.-Vietnamese pact is “a reminder that former adversaries can come together and find common ground, to forgive and to reconcile,” Clinton said, adding that that’s just what the Middle Eastern leaders had to do at Camp David.

But he didn’t go into specifics.

“I think I should say nothing about what’s going on at Camp David,” he said. “The less I say, the greater our chances of success.”

On the sidelines of the talks, some Israeli and Palestinianofficials who were not part of the delegations — and thus free totalk — expressed optimism about the way the talks were going.

“We will have an agreement, and I hope it will also bring peaceand security to the Palestinians,” said Rabbi Michael Melchior,Israel’s Diaspora Affairs minister.

The Palestinians, who until now have been more pessimistic aboutprospects, also brightened their tone somewhat, saying Arafat came toCamp David with the intention of securing an accord.

ABCNEWS’ Rebecca Cooper in Thurmont, Md., and Lisa Sylvester in Washington, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.