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Clinton Talks to Barak, Arafat to Seek End of Violence
U.S. President Bill Clinton Tuesday spoke by phone with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to discuss ways to end the "cycle of violence" in the Middle East, the White House said.
"This morning he (Clinton) spoke with Prime Minister Barak and Chairman Arafat to discuss steps that they can take in the region to end the cycle of violence," White House spokesman Jake Siewert said.
Siewert said he expected the president's foreign policy team will follow up those phone calls during the course of the day.
He said Clinton will also be in touch with U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan to get an update from him on the diplomacy that he's undertaken in the Middle East to end the violence which has claimed at least 80 lives in the past 13 days.
As to the proposed idea of convening an emergency summit in the Middle East, Siewert said "that is a judgment we will be assessing and reassessing as the day goes on."
"Ultimately we'll have to make a decision about what we think is most effective in furthering the cause of reducing violence, reducing tension in the region and creating the right conditions on the ground," he said.
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