Upon taking office, both the Prime Minister and the minister of foreign affairs made strong efforts to deny charges that the new government was going to stall the peace process. On the contrary, they sent repeated messages of secure peace. In a meeting with the ambassador of Egypt Mr. Levy emphasized the concept of secure peace and honoring all agreements which the previous government has signed. Israel wanted continuous dialogue and political discussion. This was the message the ambassador was asked to convey to President Mubarak. Text:
Minister of Foreign Affairs David Levy met with Egyptian Ambassador Mohammed Bassiouny on 21.06.96. At the beginning of the meeting, Ambassador Bassiouny invited Minister of Foreign Affairs Levy to make an official visit to Egypt. Levy stated that, due to the growing tension in the Arab world surrounding the new Israeli government, and because the government has only been in office for a week, a visit to Egypt is not yet justified.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Levy made clear that the governments message is one of a secure peace, and that its strong will to achieve this reflects its belief that peace is a supreme value.
"This government has no intention of saying no, it intends to say yes, and Israel will honor the agreements which it has signed, as the Prime Minister has stated," Levy said. The growing tension around us is not understandable and raises questions, as well as running counter to the creation of an atmosphere of dialogue and political discussion. The increased tension does not create an atmosphere for dialogue; instead, it gives the impression that there is a desire to pressure Israel and dictate everything to it in advance.
The Israeli government should be given time to arrange matters and to study the issues at hand. Egypt, given its standing and on the basis of its pioneering of peaceful relations with Israel, should proceed in this direction. Progress on the path to peace is not achieved by pressure or threats, in an attempt to impose conditions. That is contrary to the spirit of honest dialogue. The Minister of Foreign Affairs sought especially to emphasize the message that the Israeli government seeks a secure peace. The test is in open discussion and dialogue, and Israel intends to conduct a dialogue with all parties, without exception. Levy recalled the words of President Mubarak, who once told him that the agreements reached with the Likud government are etched in stone. Levy stressed that an agreement with the current government is an agreement with a majority of the Israeli people.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs said that the governments guidelines contain a message of secure peace, but that they contain nothing extreme. Each side can formulate its position before entering negotiations, and it does not have to accept the position of the other side before talks have begun. Formulating a position, said Levy, does not mean imposing preconditions on the other side. Israel is not imposing its position as a precondition for negotiations with Syria, just as it does not accept Syrias position as a condition for negotiations.
Mr. Levy added that Israel wants to make progress in its negotiations with all parties, including with the Palestinian Authority.