Military

DATE=05/13/02

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

NUMBER=2-289722

TITLE=LIKUD / EGYPT REACT (L ONLY)

BYLINE=GREG LaMOTTE

DATELINE=CAIRO

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: Despite strong objections from Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, his own Likud party voted (Sunday) to reject the creation of a Palestinian state. But political analysts in Egypt say while the vote will only further anti-Israel anger among Arab radicals, Arab leaders, they say, will likely not view it as necessarily damaging to the Mideast peace process. VOA's Greg LaMotte has the story from Cairo.

TEXT: Abdel Moneim Said is the head of the al Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies in Cairo. He says the Likud Party's vote against the creation of a Palestinian state will give ammunition to those Arabs opposed to peace with Israel. But he says Arab leaders are more understanding of Israeli politics.

/// SAID ACT ///

The Arab radicals will say, "see that's what we have told you. That these people don't want peace and they are not representing only the Likud but they are representing the whole Israeli society." I think Arab leaders will look at it as a kind of inter-Israeli kind of politics of extremists because it happened particularly within the Likud party conference. It is understood, within that conference which is usually ideological, you get that kind of extremism in taking positions. I don't think with the leaders it will take the same kind of value it takes among the public.

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Mohammad Kamal teaches political science at two universities in Cairo. In his view the Likud vote against the creation of a Palestinian state is meaningless when it comes to achieving peace in the Middle East.

/// KAMAL ACT ///

I think we shouldn't exaggerate this (Likud) meeting. This is just a party meeting. We don't deal with parties we deal with the prime minister of Israel, and the prime minister of Israel has said he is in favor of a Palestinian state. The question is, what kind of state? What shape? What about the borders, settlements, Jerusalem and so on? So, until we have a new prime minister I think we shouldn't worry too much about what came out of the meeting.

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Mr. Kamal says while Mr. Sharon's party "handed him a stinging defeat," he believes, "in the long run damage to the Likud party itself could be far greater." In his words, "the party now runs the very serious risk of being viewed as extremist, both by the international community and among Israelis themselves." (Signed)

NEB/GL/KL