Shamir’s U.S. visit fails to bring peace breakthrough

Press, 18 March 1988, Page 8

Shamir’s U.S. visit fails to bring peace breakthrough

NZPA-Reuter '1)4'11 Washington i The visit to Washington by the Israeli Prime ! Minister, Yitzhak Shamir, has brought no Middle-East peace breakthrough.

President Reagan and the Secretary of State, George Shultz, spent hours trying to persuade Mr Shamir to compromise on his opposition to a new United Spates peace plan, but the Israeli leader told. Mr Reagan the proposal was unacceptable in its - present form. With the plan drawing fire from Syria and the Palestine Liberation Organisation and lacking explicit support from Jordan, Washington seemed little closer to a breakthrough I than before Mr Shamir arrived on Monday. I I The Israeli leader, who will ibaye today, said one unacceptable aspect of the United States plan was its suggestion of an iiiternatiohal) conference on

the Middle-East, to be held under the auspices of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. •'I have strong reservations concerning the proposed international con- 1 ference. which in my view is not conducive to peace." Mr Shultz said at a White House ceremony after two hours of talks with Mr Reagan. I Mr Shamir a conference on the grounds that it would give the Soviet Union influence over a peace settlement and might enable Jordan to extract 1 concessions from Israel that it could not win in direct negotiations. I Under the United States proposals, the conference would precede two sets of

peace talks. One would be to establish interim Palestinian self-rule , jin the Israeli-held West Bank, and the other would aim at a permanent status for the territories. J 1 Mr Shamir opposes giving up the West Bank and Gaza, a stance that puts him at odds with mis own Foreign Minister. Shimon Peres, who. is ready to trade some land for peace. Their disagreement means there' has been no official Israeli response to the Reagan Administration’s initiative. Mr Shamir said Israel would defeat the three-month-old Palestinian uprising in the West Bank and Gaza that prompted the Revived United States peace diplomacy. "The alternative is

Lebanon, a terrorist play- { ground in our backyard,” |he told a news confer- ' I once. i' . ! Mr Reagan said on : Wednesday that the j United States would not ! abandon its {initiative, and I said any leaders who reI jected it would need to j answer to their own j peoples. j j The President, a strong { supporter of Israel, made j a point of noting that Mr , Shamir had) not explicitly | rejected the plan. j Mr Shamir was set to have a final meeting with' j the Secretary of State, : George Shultz, today be- | fore leaving Washington. I He has schedule I in the United States until i Monday wlien he will re- : turn home.) ;