Israel sets time-frame for W Asia peace talks

During the next 15 months Barak expects it would be possible to know the results of negotiations on three tracks Syria, Lebanon and the Palestinians the source said. Barak, elected in May, has pledged to honour all peace deals that Israel signed with the Palestinians, including the Wye River land-for-security deal, whose implementationwas halted by Netanyahu. Barak, who met Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat before leaving for the US, has, however, suggested that the Wye accord be carried out parallel to talks on the final status agreement.

He met Defence Secretary William Cohen yesterday to finalise an agreement on Tel Aviv buying 50 F-16 fighter jets, with an option to buy 50 more, to update its air force.

The Palestinian cabinet meanwhile demanded yesterday that the Wye accord be implemented immediately and not linked with anything else. “There is no need, importance, or justification to tie this agreement with any other issues,” it said in a statement. However, the Israelis have indicated that Barak’s position is not inflexible, and that if the Palestinians did not agree to his suggestion, Tel Aviv would honour the Wye River agreement.The timetable laid down in the accord requires troop withdrawals by the two sides from the West Bank over a two-month period once the implementation is resumed. The Palestinian cabinetalso said it would like a strong US role in future talks, something Barak does not want.

“The Palestinian leadership emphasises its full commitment to the American patronage of the peace process. It is the proper framework to ensure the success of these difficult and complicated negotiations,” it said.Barak has indicated that along with the Palestinian problem, he also wants to resolve Israel’s entanglement with Lebanon and Syria as soon as possible. He wants to withdraw Israeli troops from south Lebanon within a year as part of an overall deal with Syria, the main powerbroker in Lebanon.To make peace with Syria, Israel will have to withdraw from the Golan Heights, which Israel captured in the 1967 war.