The interview was devoted mainly to the state of Israel-Syria negotiations. The prime minister noted that there was some progress, but there were still large gaps between the Israeli and Syrian positions. The negotiations were still being conducted primarily through the United States. The prime minister elaborated on the major components of a possible agreement, but noted there was no Syrian agreement to Israeli substantive ideas and timetable. Mr. Rabin also answered questions regarding growing support in Israel for the Israel-Jordan Washington Declaration. Excerpts:
Q: Is an agreement, or are negotiations, with Syria any more imminent today than yesterday?
Prime Minister Rabin: Whoever believes that we will eventually achieve comprehensive peace - that is, with the three countries - there is progress. Yes, we are advancing. At the same time, to tell the truth, there are still large gaps between Syria's position and those of Israel; time will certainly be required to bridge them.
Q: Such as the depth of withdrawal being proportional to the extent of the Syrian commitment to peace?
Prime Minister Rabin: There are four major components which have still not been resolved: the depth of the withdrawal. - the schedule for the withdrawal - that is, its duration;
- the third matter, obviously, involves the stages in the implementation of peace; as with Egypt, we insist that there be a protracted phase of normalization - in other words, open borders and embassies, even before we complete our withdrawal to a yet undetermined line, and;
- the fourth issue is security arrangements - that is, those things connected with the changes required by peace, that Israel and Syria be shielded from the unexpected.
On all four issues, gaps remain.
Q: Do you share President Mubarak's assessment that there may be a settlement by the end of the year?
Prime Minister Rabin: I am not a prophet. I think that government policy should not be judged by words, but mainly by results. Accordingly, I hope so - but I certainly cannot promise this.
Q: According to reports from Cairo, President Mubarak estimated that Syria has softened its position regarding peace. Is this also your assessment, your impression, after meeting with President Mubarak?
Prime Minister Rabin: Negotiations between the Syrians and ourselves are being conducted primarily through the United States, through the contacts which the United States maintains with Syria on the one hand, and with Israel on the other. Already during this process, there is some sort of Syrian agreement to some signs of components of peace, but they are still far from satisfying us concerning timetables and substance.
Q: You spoke about some signs. Could you specify some of these signs?
Prime Minister Rabin: No, I could not be more specific, since it is still more of a dialogue between Syria and the U.S., than between Syria and us.
Q: President Mubarak also assessed that Syria would not be satisfied with less than a complete withdrawal [from the Golan Heights] before it moves on to the next stage in relations with us, or in negotiations with us - a declaration at least about readiness for full withdrawal, a declaration which you have yet to make.
Prime Minister Rabin: As I have already said, there is a dispute, significant differences of opinion between Syria and usi over everything connected with the extent of the withdrawal.
Q: There was a proposal last week that you meet with the Syrian president in Washington, and that he would head a delegation of Arab heads of state. The Egyptian president was supposed to have raised the proposal in his discussion with President Assad. Has there been any response?
Prime Minister Rabin: I do not know of any such discussion between the Egyptian and Syrian presidents; I wish that this were already possible. I still do not see that the Syrian president is prepared to meet with me, even against the background of bilateral relations; he certainly does not have authority to do so from other Arab states which are not engaged in negotiations with us. I doubt whether such authority would be given to him, and whether he would want this before the bilateral problems between Syria and Israel are resolved.
Q: I would like to get your reaction regarding the report that there is a large majority, I believe nearly 100 Members of Knesset, which supports the agreements with Jordan, in the session which is supposed to take place in the Knesset this week. Such support is very far from being the case regarding some sort of arrangement or readiness to compromise with Syria. Will you respond favorably to the Likud's call, for example, to hold some sort of dialogue with the opposition, in order to reach such negotiations with a broader national consensus?
Prime Minister Rabin: I would be happy [to respond to your question]. I think that there is every reason to believe that the Knesset will give broad support for the Washington Declaration. I believe that the Washington Declaration is a great achievement of the Government's and the country's efforts to arrive at peace with our eastern neighbor, Jordan, which for many years was a neighbor, though in a state of war with Israel, but along with this a reasonable neighbor who acted in no small way to maintain quiet along Israel's longest border with an Arab neighbor.
Regarding Syria, there are disagreements between the Likud and us regarding the price of peace. Therefore, I am always prepared for a dialogue with the main opposition, and not only the main opposition, but without giving up our positions, the positions which we also presented before the elections to the 13th Knesset - readiness for territorial compromise in order to reach peace on all fronts.
Q: It seems to me that opposition to concessions on the Golan Heights exists not only in the opposition, but also within your own party.
Prime Minister Rabin: There are opinions, it is only natural that in every party there are differing positions. I also announced, and it is indeed my intention to fulfill this when and if we arrive at the possibility of signing a peace treaty between Syria and Israel which would require a significant withdrawal, that a decision on this would be made in a national referendum. In other words, the people will decide on what it is prepared to give up in order to reach peace. I do no see this as being subject only to a Knesset decision.
Q: Moshe Katzav, the chairman of the Likud Knesset faction, said yesterday that the Likud would consider joining a unity government if it would declare that a Palestinian state would not be established. I understand that the subject of a unity government is not even being raised.
Prime Minister Rabin: To me, the very fact that such readiness was expressed by the chairman of the Likud Knesset faction is a positive thing, and I do not believe that the main argument concerning the peace moves with Jordan, Syria and Lebanon, as well as with implementing the Washington Declaration, the Cairo agreement with the Palestinians falls with this question. Whoever reads the Labor party's election platform will find that there is no support for the establishment of a Palestinian state. However, it should be recalled that the permanent settlement will only be discussed in two years' time, or not later than another two years, when we will have had an opportunity to examine two stages -"Gaza and Jericho First," and afterwards stages connected with the transfer of authority, perhaps even elections in all the territories - what the level of the Palestinian system's capability will be to govern in those spheres which, according to the agreements, have been or will be given to them to govern.