DATE=3/22/2000
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=ISRAEL / SYRIA (L-ONLY)
NUMBER=2-260473
BYLINE=LISA SCHLEIN
DATELINE=GENEVA
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: Israel's Minister of Justice, Yossi Beilin,
says outlook for peace with Syria is good. Lisa
Schlein reports the Israeli minister says Sunday's
upcoming meeting in Geneva between President Clinton
and Syrian President Hafez Al-Assad could result in
the resumption of Israeli-Syrian peace negotiations.
TEXT: The Israeli minister departed from his prepared
remarks to the United Nations Human Rights Commission
meeting in Geneva. Instead, he spoke about prospects
for peace in the Middle East. In a rare admission, he
noted that Israel's occupation of Arab territory had
gone bad.
At a later meeting with journalists, Yossi Beilin
reaffirmed his belief that the opportunities for peace
have never been better. He said he believed the
Clinton-Assad meeting this Sunday could be very
important.
/// BEILIN ACT ///
Here, something very concrete may happen and
that may be the resumption of talks between
Israel and Syria. If, as a result of this
summit the talks will resume that, of course,
will be very positive. More positive than that,
would be that the talks would be fruitful. And,
I'm not sure that it is impossible. But, the
resumption right now is the next step.
///END ACT///
Israel and Syria resumed peace talks in December after
a nearly four year interruption. They broke off again
after only two sessions over Syria's demands that
Israel return the Golan Heights. Israel captured this
strategic area in the 1967 Middle East war.
Mr. Beilin says Israeli differences with Syria were
very minor. The Israeli justice minister says they
could be overcome if both sides were willing to make
the necessary compromises to achieve peace.
///2ND BEILIN ACT///
There are those who say that we don't have to
pay anything to the Syrians in order to make
peace because it is peace for peace. If they
want peace not less than ourselves, than we
should remain on the Golan Heights and make
peace with them. This is not our policy and
that is the big change. We understand that we
cannot have just peace for peace. We have to
pay a price and the price is the Golan Heights.
///END ACT///
In return, Mr. Beilin says the price Syria would have
to pay was normalization of relations with Israel. He
says the international climate is ripe for a
negotiated peace and he appealed to Syria to seize the
moment. The Israeli justice minister says at least
twice this decade, the Syrians missed the opportunity
to make peace. He urged them not to do so again.
///OPT /// The Israeli Minister said this might not be
the last chance to negotiate an agreement. But, he
said it was a very important chance. ///END OPT/// He
noted the next six months would be crucial. If no
progress was made, Mr. Beilin said it might take years
before there was another opportunity for Israel, Syria
and Lebanon to achieve peace. (Signed)
NEB/LS/GE/JO
22-Mar-2000 09:21 AM EDT (22-Mar-2000 1421 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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