Upon his return from Washington, Mr. Shamir said that the Bush Administration had endorsed the main principles of his plan. He indicated that there is need for order before elections are held, and there was no intention to remove the IDF from the West Bank. He also thought there was no need for international supervision of the elections. He said that the Cabinet would now start work on a peace plan. Text:
Mr. Shamir: I brought to the U.S. a plan containing certain principles. The U.S. accepted these principles. The specifics of these principles must be worked out now. This is what we are about to do. This is one of the problems which you raised. I would like to say, however, that even when someone suggests municipal elections, the intention is to pick out from those elected in such elections, representatives for negotiations on a settlement of the conflict between ourselves and the Arabs of Judea, Samaria and Gaza.
Q: Will you support the participation of the Arab residents of East Jerusalem in these elections?
A: Everyone poses the same questions. This is one of the issues that we will have to discuss.
Q: What is your position vis-a-vis posting international observers to supervise the elections in the territories, with the assumption that the Americans will also participate?
A: I believe that there is no need for observers or supervision of any kind, but since I would like to work out a plan that would be unanimously agreed upon by the Cabinet, I will refrain from making any comments at this point. We will have to work out a plan, to submit it to the Cabinet for approval, and then I will be able to say what the Cabinet's decision is.
Q: In face of the criticism expressed by some Likud ministers, do you think you will succeed in attaining full agreement from the government and Cabinet regarding the elections idea?
A: I believe that I will succeed in achieving a general consensus, or at least a considerable majority in the Cabinet.
Q: What is your reaction to the demand for a pullback of IDF forces from population concentrations in the territories during the period of elections, and that the elections lead to a final, and not an interim, settlement?
A: You have confused several matters. We are not even considering changes in the IDFs deployment; IDF preparedness is necessary in order to maintain order, and, order is necessary for holding elections as well. As for future negotiations, I have stated in my plan that the negotiations will entail two stages. The first stage will be [negotiations] on the interim settlement, and the second - on a permanent agreement.