Middle East
U.S. Getting fed up with playing to the gallery
By Lisa Beyer/Jerusalem and Douglas Waller/Washington
January 17, 2000
Web posted at: 11:34 a.m. EST (1634 GMT)
Did Israeli diplomats leak a working draft of an Israeli-Syrian
peace treaty last week? The U.S. believes so and is furious. The
secret document, prepared by U.S. mediators during the last round
of talks, maps out points of agreement and disagreement between
the two sides on a proposed land-for-peace deal..
White House officials suspect that aides to Israeli Prime
Minister EHUD BARAK leaked the draft to the Israeli newspaper
Ha'aretz to show skeptical Israelis that Barak is bargaining
tough and winning concessions. "That does make our work harder,"
says State Department spokesman JAMES RUBIN. Barak and Syrian
Foreign Minister FAROUK SHARA were to return to Shepherdstown
this week. Clinton aides hope the two will finally start
bargaining seriously behind closed doors and stop posturing. "It
doesn't instill confidence in your negotiating partners when
everything is out in public," says a U.S. diplomat.
--By
Lisa Beyer/Jerusalem and Douglas Waller/Washington
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