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Ben-Ami Lowers Expectations for Second Israeli-Palestinian Summit
Israeli acting Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami Thursday tried to lower expectations for a second Israeli-Palestinian summit, ahead of an important visit to the region by US Mideast special envoy Dennis Ross.
Speaking to Israel Radio, Ben-Ami said that a second summit, following last month's botched Camp David talks, will only take place when Israel is certain that the Palestinians will show more flexibility.
"The question of the summit is for the time being not really on the agenda. What is on the agenda is trying to detect any meaningful change in the positions on the other side," said Ben-Ami, who officially resumed the peace talks with two Palestinian senior negotiators Saeb Erekat and Mohammed Dahlan Wednesday night.
Ross was due to arrive in the region Thursday afternoon and will hold a meeting immediately with Ben-Ami in the latter's Public Security Ministry office in Tel Aviv. Ben-Ami holds the public security portfolio concurrently.
The Ross's visit, which was originally slated to begin on Sunday, will be the first visit by high-ranking US officials to Israel and the Palestinians self-rule areas since the Camp David breakdown.
The envoy reportedly will try to assess the progress that has been made since the Camp David talks and explore the idea of holding a "pre-summit" to iron out the two sides' differences over core issues before a concluding summit between top leaders.
The Camp David summit, attended by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and US President Bill Clinton, last for 15 days in July and failed to reach an agreement finally due to significant gaps over the fate of Jerusalem and the return of Palestinian refugees.
The Clinton administration now adopts a more cautious attitude toward a second summit until sighs show that sufficient progress is made to warrant the summit's success.
Ben-Ami and Palestinian negotiators Erekat and Dahlan reportedly inclined to holding a "pre-summit" in Washington at the end of this month or the beginning of next month.
Officials in Jerusalem said that the talks, under the guidance of US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, will enhance the prospects of success at a full-fledged summit later.
Ross is scheduled to meet with Barak on Friday before heading for the Palestinian self-rule areas. He will also go on vacation with his family at an undisclosed location in the region on Sunday.
Based on his reports, Clinton and Albright then will decide whether conditions were ripe for a concluding second summit for reaching a final Israeli-Palestinian accord.
A possible date for the proposed second summit is September 4-6, when Barak, Arafat and Clinton will meet at the UN Millennium Summit in New York.
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