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No Peace Agreement at Camp David by Wednesday: Israeli Speaker
Israeli Knesset (parliament) Speaker Avraham Burg said on Monday that Israel and the Palestinians can not reach a framework agreement on final-status issues at Camp David by Wednesday.
More time is needed for the two sides to narrow their differences on the major issues concerning the peace talks, he said.
Burg made the remarks on Israel Radio after holding a telephone conversation with Prime Minister Ehud Barak who is leading the Israeli delegation to the summit.
"From what I have heard from Barak, the two sides are very close on some issues, but positions on Jerusalem and refugees are still wide apart," Burg said, adding that it is impossible for the sides to reach a framework agreement by Wednesday as had been reported by some foreign press.
It was reported earlier that United States President Bill Clinton is pushing to wrap up the Camp David summit or to be able to issue a declaration on its progress by the time he leaves for a Group of Eight (G-8) economic summit in Japan on Wednesday.
The report also said that Clinton re-introduced bridging proposals on all the major issues on Sunday and is waiting for feedbacks from the Israeli and Palestinian sides on Monday.
In the proposals, Clinton reportedly outlined the suggestions for settling the major issues including Jerusalem, Palestinian refugees, borders and Jewish settlements.
"The next two days will show whether an agreement can be reached within days or within a few weeks. President Clinton is keen to do it within days," a Palestinian official in direct contact with the negotiators said Sunday.
The U.S.-hosted three-way summit between Clinton, Barak and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, which started last Tuesday, is aimed at resolving the major final-status issues between Israel and the Palestinians and reaching a framework agreement for a final peace accord by September 13.
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