ISSUE 1878 Sunday 16 July 2000 Clinton set to foot bill for Mideast settlement By David Wastell in Washington and Tom Gross in Jerusalem PRESIDENT CLINTON is preparing to offer Israel and the Palestinians aid worth tens of billions of dollars to underwrite a peace deal at the Camp David talks and attach his name to a solution to one of the world's most intractable conflicts. Despite warnings that Congress is wary of writing a "blank cheque" to pay for what suspicious Republicans see as his "legacy project", Bill Clinton is willing to assure Ehud Barak, Israel's Prime Minister, and Yasser Arafat, the Palestinian leader, that the US will foot a large part of the peace bill. He is also sympathetic to Israeli requests for a substantial package of military aid, worth up to £8 billion, to upgrade its weapons systems and help strengthen defences against possible attack from Iraq if the Jordan Valley is handed to the Palestinians as part of a final agreement. Israel is believed to be seeking Apache attack helicopters and conversion kits to turn ordinary bombs into "smart" weapons of the kind used by the US in Kosovo. Talks at the Camp David retreat on a spine of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Maryland continued yesterday amid an official news blackout. According to one report, however, Mr Arafat threatened to walk out of the summit in anger over American proposals on Jerusalem designed to bridge the gap between the two sides, but President Clinton calmed him down and the proposals were withdrawn. Senior members of Congress are in the dark about what may be decided and are nervous of being presented with a substantial bill for what some believe may prove a misguided attempt to strike a deal in the closing stages of Mr Clinton's presidency. George W. Bush, the Republican presidential candidate, attempted to defuse tensions at the end of last week by saying he wished the talks success. Sonny Callahan, the influential Alabama Republican whose congressional sub-committee would be asked to agree to any American aid package, has however said that Congress will look long and hard before agreeing to pay up. A spokesman for Mr Callahan said: "He has heard every figure from £10 billion to £100 billion. He and others support anything that would bring true peace to the Middle East. But he told the Secretary of State that he is concerned that Mr Clinton may be trying to build a legacy division in his presidential library at Little Rock, with a Middle East peace accord at its centre. Even as a friend and ally of Israel we have got to be concerned when a lame duck administration is preparing to leave billions of dollars of obligations for the next administration." Practical issues which would arise from a settlement and require a huge infusion of cash include establishing and securing new borders, rehousing thousands of Jewish settlers forced to move from the West Bank and other land handed over to the Palestinians, and building new roads and schools. The complex nature of a division of territory between the two sides means bridges and tunnels may be needed to allow people to move between different parts of a new Palestinian state without passing through Israeli checkpoints. An international fund would also be set up to help compensate Palestinians driven from their homes when Israel was founded. The mood in Israel is uneasy, with signs that opposition to Mr Barak is hardening since his governing coalition broke up and he narrowly survived a no-confidence vote last week. A huge anti-Barak rally is planned for this evening in Tel Aviv, with up to 15 per cent of Israel's 4.8 million Jews expected to attend. Even Mr Barak's supporters say it is likely to be the largest rally in the country's history. One Jerusalem resident who planned to attend the rally, Leah Pavliski, said: "We want to show that we are only for real peace, not for this capitulative peace process in which we are to give up vital territory to a police state in the making in our backyard. Such appeasement will only lead to war." Even Mr Barak's pro-peace supporters on the left are concerned at what they see as his abrasive manner. His failure to consult his coalition partners about planned concessions to the Palestinians led to a mass of resignations, and he is now in the unusual position of holding 10 cabinet portfolios. In addition to being Prime Minister and Defence Minister, he is now Education Minister, Health Minister and is the acting head of six other ministries. Israel's Foreign Minister, David Levy, with whom Mr Barak had also failed to consult, refused to travel to Washington with him. There is speculation that if a peace deal is reached, Mr Barak plans to go over the heads of parliament and appeal directly to the Israeli public in a referendum. Anxiety in Israel has been fed by reports that while talking peace, the Palestinians are in fact preparing for war. Traditionally, in the summer, the Palestinians hold camps for their youth, but this year military-style exercises and training have replaced treasure hunts and basketball. The Fatah wing of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation is training young people to handle weapons, storm settlements and throw petrol bombs. http://www.worldnetdaily.com/forum/drudge_frame.htm Bard The Lesser of Two Evils is Still Evil. <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html">Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/">ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
