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RUBIN BRIEFING ON STATUS OF MIDEAST PEACE TALKS

Spokesman says there is sufficient basis to continue discussions

Chesapeake College, Maryland -- Following is the transcript of a press briefing October 21 by State Department Spokesman James P. Rubin:

(Begin transcript)

POOL PRESS BRIEFING
BY JAMES P. RUBIN
CHESAPEAKE COLLEGE, MD
OCTOBER 21, 1998

MR. RUBIN: Is everyone there?

QUESTION: Yes.

MR. RUBIN: Alright just to give you an update, the Secretary met with the Prime Minister for about an hour. She and others are now working on some text questions and some important issues. We don't really know what the next stage will be.

At this time she has not called on the President to recommend his return, and the President's return is on hold at this point.

Any questions?

QUESTION: Yes, how serious do the Americans believe the Israelis' threat to leave at 10:00 p.m.? Has that been discussed?

MR. RUBIN: You are talking about saying that if they don't get concessions by 10:00 p.m. they are going to leave.

QUESTION: Yes.

MR. RUBIN: With respect to that, let me say that it would certainly be an unfortunate development for that to occur since we believe that there is a sufficient basis to proceed and to do work to provide security for the people of Israel and the prospect for peace to the people of Israel and Palestinian people.

QUESTION: When did they get the document? They say they haven't seen it yet.

MR. RUBIN: Who?

QUESTION: The Palestinians and the Israelis.

MR. RUBIN: Yes, by the time this day is out it still is our intention to provide the text to both sides. We have been working with both sides an parts of it during the course of the day, and we don't expect either side will be surprised when they receive it in its final form.

QUESTION: What is taking so long?

MR. RUBIN: Well one works on these things at an appropriate pace so that when the final document is provided, it's got the maximum chance of success.

QUESTION: The Prime Minister's statements said that the two main issues of contention are the extradition of terrorists and the revision of the PLO charter. Is that your understanding as well?

MR. RUBIN: I would rather not get into what the issues remaining are other than to say that in the security area we think serious work has been done. We think there is a sufficient basis to proceed and it would very unfortunate if one or the other parties were to leave while we were ready, willing and able to help provide security for their peoples and peace for the region.

QUESTION: Did the Secretary specifically ask Netanyahu not to leave?

MR. RUBIN: I don't think it has been that way, I mean we were aware of the possibility that they might leave, but we are trying to work on the substance, and we don't intend to hold anybody here against their will.

QUESTION: Is it still possible for the President to come here tonight at this late hour?

MR. RUBIN: The President's return is a question that is on hold pending the discussions in the coming hour.

QUESTION: Today or tomorrow, Jamie?

MR. RUBIN: I don't know, that would be something for Joe. But I think that Joe had said that after receiving a report from Secretary Albright he would make a decision as to whether there was enough seriousness here to justify his return.

QUESTION: Jamie, the impression we got this morning that the American document is ready to be presented, but from what you are telling us now, there are still parts of the document that are being worked on by the Palestinian side and the Israeli side. Was the document ready this morning, or was it still not ready until now?

MR. RUBIN: We have not presented the final document to both parties.

QUESTION: Well, I understand that....

MR. RUBIN: That is all I have to say about that.

QUESTION: Is it not correct that part of what is going on here is that an Israeli disagreement with a common American-Palestinian position on the working paper, on security.

MR. RUBIN: That is a perfectly legitimate question, but to answer it I would be providing more substance than instructed to provide.

QUESTION: Is the proposal basically set, and are the new Israeli demands unnecessary to provide security that is required....

MR. RUBIN: I'm not going to rule out (inaudible) in detail, but the elements of our initiative have been there from the beginning, and that is to provide a comprehensive system to fight terrorism, and that is a complex project but it has been part and parcel of our initiative from the beginning. In order to be able to accomplish that, we need to be able to get agreement from the parties.

QUESTION: If the Israelis decided to leave, would that be a slap in the face to the Americans.

MR. RUBIN: If the Israelis decided to leave it would be unfortunate because of security and peace in the region and because we think there is a sufficient basis to proceed.

QUESTION: Jamie, will you be making that security document public if things blow up.

MR. RUBIN: No decision has been made on that.

QUESTION: What is Secretary Albright's feeling now? Can you give us some..... How is she doing after seven days of marathon negotiations?

MR. RUBIN: Well Secretary Albright has put a lot of time and effort into this process over the last 18 months. Countless phone calls, hundreds of hours of meetings in London, Paris, the Middle East, Washington, New York and done all she could to provide the ideas and creativity, but ultimately she can't make them make the decisions that are necessary.

QUESTION: Is she frustrated?

MR. RUBIN: Well, I think all of us feel we are at a crucial period and we want to advance the cause of peace and the security of the peoples in the region, and we can't do it alone.

QUESTION: Do you still believe that both sides want to reach a peace agreement?

MR. RUBIN: We will know in the coming hours.

QUESTION: Do you think these Israelis threats and actions are unhelpful?

MR. RUBIN: I think the point, as I said, is that it would be unfortunate if they choose to leave given the fact there is sufficient basis for us to continue in these discussions.

QUESTION: Jamie, the (Inaudible) said that there has been Israeli news (inaudible) security demands were met not this morning? Is that correct?

MR. RUBIN: I don't want to get into a play-by-play of when new demands are put in or put out. We think that there has been serious work on the security side, serious work on all the areas, and that there is sufficient basis to continue these discussions.

QUESTION: Jamie, is the Secretary or any member of her team now undertaking to go back to the Palestinians to see if they are willing to meet some of the Israelis' demands?

MR. RUBIN: No.

QUESTION: The Palestinians are saying that the ball is in the Israeli court; do you agree with this characterization?

MR. RUBIN: I given up the ball-and-court analogies.

QUESTION: Jamie, do you think that the Israelis' threat to depart is a negotiating ploy or do you take is seriously and literally?

MR. RUBIN: Only they know for sure.

QUESTION: Are any of the committees meeting today?

MR. RUBIN: No, I think a fair amount was done yesterday on the committees, and I think the other subjects have been the focus of the work today.

QUESTION: That is a "no," Jamie?

MR. RUBIN: I think that is correct that there have not been formal committee meetings today.

QUESTION: If these wide talks fail, will the US have to rethink its mediator role in the peace process?

MR. RUBIN: We don't want to speculate what we will do if there is not an agreement at this time, but we were here. We've spent seven long days and seven long nights, the President has spent (inaudible) hours trying to help them make the tough decisions. Whether they will or not is still an open question.

I think I've exhausted my supply.

QUESTION: One last question. If no American has gone back to the Palestinians with the Israelis' new demands, are you then saying to the Israelis go if you want to go, we've done all we can do?

MR. RUBIN: I don't want to answer that directly because there are nuances to -- we try to present what we think will fly, it's not a simple question of shuttling back and forth. We are trying to present what we think will fly and if they don't want to stay, it would be unfortunate because we think there is a sufficient basis to consider -- to continue the discussions and the negotiations.

QUESTION: Jamie, is the discussion going on only with the Israeli side?

MR. RUBIN: Right now yes. There were discussions with the Palestinians today but not by Albright and Arafat.

QUESTION: Will you be back later this evening?

MR. RUBIN: I hope so if I'm still here after what I just said.

QUESTION: Jamie when you say today, do you mean by midnight tonight?

MR. RUBIN: As soon as I have something new to report.

QUESTION: By ten o'clock, yeah?

MR. RUBIN: I don't know when, as soon as I have something new to report.

Thank you.