From: ayman@eecs.umich.edu (Ayman I. Kayssi)
Subject: Syria, Lebanon boycott talks on regional issues; Israel unsure
Date: Tue, 15 Sep 92 12:35:09 EDT
Organization: The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL5

[ Article crossposted without permission ]
[ Author was SID BALMAN Jr. ]
[ Posted on Tue, 15 Sep 92 8:19:53 PDT ]

	WASHINGTON (UPI) -- Lebanese and Syrians will continue their boycott
of multilateral working groups dealing with five key problems in the
Middle East until concrete progress is made in their bilateral peace
negotiations with Israel, Arab officials said Tuesday.
	Mohamed Harake, a Lebanese diplomat in Washington, said his nation
would not join in discussions on water, arms control, the environment,
economic development and refugees until Israel commits to a ``real
peace'' with the four Arab nations participating in bilateral
negotiations on Middle East peace.
	In Lebanon's case, he said, Israel must indicate its willingness to
withdraw soldiers from the so-called security zone in the south that the
Jewish state has occupied since the 1967 Arab-Israeli War.
	``The most important issue is withdrawal,'' Harake said. ``Unless
there is real progress in the bilateral round then Lebanon will not
participate in the multilaterals.''
	Delegates from more than 40 nations will gather in Washington this
week to discuss water in the Middle East and in Moscow to discuss arms
control. They will meet next month in The Hague to talk about the
environment and in Paris to discuss economics. The working group on
refugees meets in Ottowa the following month.
	Israel boycotted the first round of multilateral talks on refugees
last May because it objected to to the participation of Palestinian 
``exiles'' from outside the occupied territories.
	An Israeli official in Washington told United Press International
under conditions of anonymity that ``we are interested in participating
in the refugee talks, but we don't know yet.''
	The official said Israel still objected to the presence at the talks
of Palestinian exiles because the original invitations to the
multilateral discussions excluded them.
	The talks are designed to complement the main bilateral negotiations
between Israel and its Arab neighbors, the sixth round of which is
currently under way in Washington.
	In the bilateral talks, Israel met Tuesday with Jordan, Lebanon and
Syria. Israelis and Palestinians are scheduled to meet later in the day.
	The Syrian spokeswoman, Bushra Kanafani, said Monday that Damascus
would lift its boycott of the multilateral talks if Israel proved more
willing to ``withdraw completely'' from the Golan Heights along the two
nation's shared frontier occupied since the 1967 war.
	``Whether its the water issue or other issues, we would be very
willing to participate in the multilaterals when the Israelis give us
reasons to hope, to believe, persuade us they are serious when it comes
to our concerns not only theirs,'' Kanafani said.
	She said ``we need to achieve tangible results in order to
participate.''
	Withdrawal from the strategic plateau is the key issue on which
Israel and Syria are attempting to hammer out a compromise in the Middle
East peace talks.
	Both nations have made stunning compromises on that issue during the
current round of talks, but neither appears willing to go the extra
inch.
	Syria demands ``complete withdrawal'' and simultaneous implementation
of a peace agreement. Israel has said it will withdraw partially once
the two nations strike a comprehensive peace treaty.
	The United States, which joins Russia as a co-sponsor in the
multilateral and bilateral talks, called on all the nations to attend
the working groups.
	``We think it is important for all the parties to attend the
multialteral meetings,'' a State Department spokeswoman, Julie Reside,
said. ``We continue to urge them all to attend.''

--
Ayman I. Kayssi                               |    ayman@eecs.umich.edu
EECS Department                               +------------------------
University of Michigan                        |          (313) 764-8033