Zionist Regime, Arafat Sign New Mideast Peace Accord
September 6, 1999 - 0:0
SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt -- Palestinian Leader Yasser Arafat and Zionist Prime Minister Ehud Barak signed a deal in Egypt on Sunday that puts the so-called stalled Middle East peacemaking back on track after weeks of tortuous negotiations. U.S. President Bill Clinton said he hoped the new accord, dubbed Wye two, could be a stepping stone to a broader Middle East peace and pledged U.S. support.
In a news conference at his presidential retreat at Camp David, Clinton said much hard work remained. "We will do everything we can to be supportive all along the way and to achieve our larger goal -- a just and lasting comprehensive peace in the entire region, including Syria and Lebanon," Clinton said. "I hope today's progress is seen by the leaders of the Middle East as a stepping stone for that larger goal." Barak and Arafat smiled broadly and shook hands as U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Jordan's King Abdullah watched the ceremony at a luxury hotel in Egypt's Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.
Mubarak and Albright, whose diplomacy helped clinch the Israeli-Palestinian accord late on Friday night, signed the agreement as witnesses, as did King Abdullah. Arafat pledged to work in hand with Barak for peace. "We extend our hands anew to Mr Barak, my new partner in the peace process, the peace of the brave. We tell him that we are ready to build a Palestinian-Israeli partnership for peace." Barak pledged to pursue peace on all fronts in the Middle East after signing the breakthrough new deal with Arafat shortly after midnight.
"We must rise to the occasion and for the sake of our mothers and fathers, children and grandchildren turn this vision of a comprehensive peace into a lasting reality," he said. Barak said Israel and the Palestinians had an historic opportunity to "shape a better future" and appealed directly to President Hafez al-Assad of Syria to put all past differences aside in the search for peace.
"There were moments of loss of hope and despair. However, reason and mutual accommodation prevailed in the end," Mubarak, hosting the ceremony, said in a speech before the signing. He said he hoped the Israeli-Palestinian deal would proceed "promptly and without much contention" so that the focus could turn to a final accord on the future of the West Bank and Gaza. "The paramount goal is to reach a just agreement on the final status of the West Bank and Gaza," Mubarak declared.
The agreement revises the Wye River accord signed last October by Arafat and Israel's former rightwing prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who froze its implementation in December. The accord was Barak's first since he took office in July pledging to seek peace with the Palestinians, Syria and Lebanon. It provides for implementation of a modified version of the interim wye land-for-security accord and gives the parties a year to negotiate a final peace settlement.
In her speech, Albright welcomed Israeli and Palestinian willingness to do most of the negotiating without mediators, building trust and confidence after years of bitterness. "The fact that Israelis and Palestinians negotiated this act directly is a rich source of hope for the future," she said. Under Netanyahu, who lost power to Barak in May, intense U.S. mediation produced the only Israeli-Palestinian accords.
The new agreement sets the terms for three Israeli withdrawals from the West Bank between September and January. It offers the Palestinians more prisoner releases, clearance to open Gaza seaport and a safe passage from Gaza to the West Bank. Israel and the Palestinians will also aim to complete by February 15 a "framework agreement" on some of the most difficult disputes in the Arab-Israeli conflict -- Jerusalem, Palestinian refugees, the future of Jewish settlement, and the borders and status of the Palestinian territories.
United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan said he warmly welcomed the accord. "He hopes that this new important step will pave the way for further agreements leading to a comprehensive peace in the Middle East," a U.N. spokesman said.
In a news conference at his presidential retreat at Camp David, Clinton said much hard work remained. "We will do everything we can to be supportive all along the way and to achieve our larger goal -- a just and lasting comprehensive peace in the entire region, including Syria and Lebanon," Clinton said. "I hope today's progress is seen by the leaders of the Middle East as a stepping stone for that larger goal." Barak and Arafat smiled broadly and shook hands as U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Jordan's King Abdullah watched the ceremony at a luxury hotel in Egypt's Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.
Mubarak and Albright, whose diplomacy helped clinch the Israeli-Palestinian accord late on Friday night, signed the agreement as witnesses, as did King Abdullah. Arafat pledged to work in hand with Barak for peace. "We extend our hands anew to Mr Barak, my new partner in the peace process, the peace of the brave. We tell him that we are ready to build a Palestinian-Israeli partnership for peace." Barak pledged to pursue peace on all fronts in the Middle East after signing the breakthrough new deal with Arafat shortly after midnight.
"We must rise to the occasion and for the sake of our mothers and fathers, children and grandchildren turn this vision of a comprehensive peace into a lasting reality," he said. Barak said Israel and the Palestinians had an historic opportunity to "shape a better future" and appealed directly to President Hafez al-Assad of Syria to put all past differences aside in the search for peace.
"There were moments of loss of hope and despair. However, reason and mutual accommodation prevailed in the end," Mubarak, hosting the ceremony, said in a speech before the signing. He said he hoped the Israeli-Palestinian deal would proceed "promptly and without much contention" so that the focus could turn to a final accord on the future of the West Bank and Gaza. "The paramount goal is to reach a just agreement on the final status of the West Bank and Gaza," Mubarak declared.
The agreement revises the Wye River accord signed last October by Arafat and Israel's former rightwing prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who froze its implementation in December. The accord was Barak's first since he took office in July pledging to seek peace with the Palestinians, Syria and Lebanon. It provides for implementation of a modified version of the interim wye land-for-security accord and gives the parties a year to negotiate a final peace settlement.
In her speech, Albright welcomed Israeli and Palestinian willingness to do most of the negotiating without mediators, building trust and confidence after years of bitterness. "The fact that Israelis and Palestinians negotiated this act directly is a rich source of hope for the future," she said. Under Netanyahu, who lost power to Barak in May, intense U.S. mediation produced the only Israeli-Palestinian accords.
The new agreement sets the terms for three Israeli withdrawals from the West Bank between September and January. It offers the Palestinians more prisoner releases, clearance to open Gaza seaport and a safe passage from Gaza to the West Bank. Israel and the Palestinians will also aim to complete by February 15 a "framework agreement" on some of the most difficult disputes in the Arab-Israeli conflict -- Jerusalem, Palestinian refugees, the future of Jewish settlement, and the borders and status of the Palestinian territories.
United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan said he warmly welcomed the accord. "He hopes that this new important step will pave the way for further agreements leading to a comprehensive peace in the Middle East," a U.N. spokesman said.