The day after: Arab summit ends but message lingers
June 24, 1996
Web posted at: 1:45 p.m. EDT (1745 GMT)From Correspondent Richard Roth
CAIRO, Egypt (CNN) -- The top echelon of the Arab world is telling Israel there will be repercussions if their new, more conservative government doesn't continue the process of exchanging land for peace.
The message comes from twenty-one Arab nations which met for two days in Cairo. Their final message will linger a lot longer in the Middle East.
Despite the tough rhetoric, the man who helped bring rival Arabs together is not ready to give up on Israel's desire for dialogue. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarek said he thinks "the goodwill of the new government in Israel . . . will be a big help to the peace process." (191K AIFF or WAV sound)
Another Arab country on good terms with Israel was also upbeat. King Hussein of Jordan was hopeful, calling the meeting "positive" and saying he hoped the results would be constructive.
Participants varied somewhat on their reaction to the final agreement.
Syrian President Hafez El-Assad called the summit a success, probably because Syria believes much of its tough stance toward Israel was reflected in the final document. Syria also believes it helped tone down Arab criticism of Iran for allegedly plotting a coup in Bahrain.
Lebanon said it was happy with the results -- pleased the conference denounced terrorism while sanctioning the right to resist occupation and aggression, a reference to attacks on Israeli troops still in southern Lebanon.
Even with new faces in Israel's cabinet, Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi was still defiant toward Israel: "I'm very sorry to see the position is very different now . . . all these leaders feel this and they are agreed that Israel does not want to solve the problem peacefully."
With the diplomats home and the motorcades gone, at least one Cairo man summed up the mood when he said Arab countries are always for peace (but) Israel puts obstacles in the way.
More politicking is expected in the region following the first Arab summit in six years. And while his view may be too optimistic, one moderate Arab diplomat said, in effect, "Forget all the harsh rhetoric. What's important is that this was the first Arab summit to officially sanction the peace process with Israel."
Related stories:
- Arab leaders call summit a success - June 23, 1996
- Israel doesn't like Arab summit warnings - June 23, 1996
- Partial text of the Arab summit communique - June 23, 1996
- Arab summit gets under way in Cairo - June 22, 1996
- Peace with Israel is good for the Mideast 'neighborhood' - June 21, 1996
- Arabs are wary of Netanyahu government - June 21, 1996
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