Clinton Talks to Barak, Arafat by PhoneUS President Bill Clinton spoke briefly in a telephone conversation on Monday with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat; the two leaders were meeting at Barak's home near Tel Aviv."He (Clinton) pledged that we would do everything we can to keep the peace process moving forward," National Security Council spokesman P.J. Crowley said. Crowley said that Barak and Arafat, who had initiated the five-minute phone call, assured Clinton that they would send their negotiating teams to Washington to pursue talks. Clinton encouraged both leaders to do that. Under US pressure to come up with a permanent settlement, Barak and Arafat reportedly met late Monday night at Barak's home in the town of Kochav Yair near Tel Aviv. This is the first meeting between the two leaders since the end of a three-way Middle East summit in Camp David, Maryland, USA, in July. |
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