Clinton, Gore give final push to Mideast talks

US spokesman said the plan was to wrap up the negotiations today, although they would not rule out an extension of the summit.

The likely entry of Gore, considered one of Israel’s strongest supporters in the United States government, will coincide with the arrival in the negotiations of Netanyahu’s hawkish foreign minister, Ariel Sharon.

Clinton flew into the summit site around noon yesterday after breaking off a campaign tour inthe US midwest to intervene personally in the negotiations which began on Thursday and appeared to be bogging down.

The negotiations centre on breaking a 19-month deadlock in peacemaking with a US package deal linking an Israeli withdrawal from 13 per cent more of the West Bank to tougher Palestinian action to fight terrorism.

Success in the talks would lead to the launch of long-overdue negotiations on a permanent peace accord, designed to address the Palestinians’ demand for an independent state and the right of Palestinian refugees to return to the new homeland.

Failure, according to officials from all sides, could lead to an explosion of violence accompanied by dangerous moves by both Israel and Palestinians in a desperate bid to protect their perceived interests.

Clinton hopes that Arafat and Netanyahu will have little choice but to reach an accommodation with the full weight and prestige of the US presidency engaged in the negotiations.

The first three days of talks, however, appeared to havebeen largely wasted by stalling, posturing and an apparent tactical hardening of positions on both sides.