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Clinton Remains Uncertain About Middle East Summit
U.S. President Bill Clinton said Thursday he was still uncertain whether it is the right time for him to have a summit with Israeli and Palestinian leaders to hammer out a final peace agreement.
"I am going to do whatever I can in the time I have left to help them (Israelis and Palestinians) make peace but whatever I do or don't do will be based on my calculation that it will maximize the possibility of... ultimate success," Clinton said.
Asked if he expected to make a decision on whether to invite Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian President Yasser Arafat to come to the United States for summit in the next day or two, Clinton replied: "No."
He said he was waiting for a report Thursday from U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, who was returning to Washington after a two-day trip to the Middle East region.
Albright was there to assess whether the differences between the Israelis and Palestinians have been narrowed enough for a three-way summit in the next few weeks to help hammer out a final settlement before the September 13 deadline.
Albright was sent to the region after the latest round of Israeli-Palestinian talks resumed earlier this month in Washington failed to pave the way for a summit between Clinton, Barak and Arafat.
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