Jerusalem, February 8, 2001
Barak to Bush: Sharon is not bound by negotiating ideas
(Communicated by the Prime Minister's Media Adviser)
Prime Minister and Defense Minister Ehud Barak clarified this
evening that the ideas which were brought up in the course of the
recent negotiations conducted with the Chairman of the
Palestinian Authority, including those raised at the Camp David
Summit and by President Clinton towards the end of his term in
office, are not binding on the new government to be formed in
Israel.
In a letter to President George Bush, Prime Minister Barak stated
that his government had done the utmost to bring about an end to
the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but that these efforts did not
bear fruit, primarily because of a lack of sufficient readiness
for compromise on the part of the Palestinian leadership.
Prime Minister Barak also wrote that one of the the cornerstones
of the negotiations was the principle that "nothing is agreed
upon until everything is agreed upon," a principle which was
accepted by both sides. Barak also pointed out in his letter that
when President Clinton presented his ideas, he had said that they
would be rendered null and void at the end of his term of office.
Prime Minister Barak expressed his hope that the peace process in
the region will continue, as well as the special relations
between Israel and the United States.
Before sending the letter, Barak spoke with former President
Clinton, and they were in agreement that the ideas raised in the
past months are not binding on the new government in Israel.
Prime Minister Barak intends to convey this position also to the
heads of the European Union and to Chairman Arafat.