December 27, 1995
Web posted at: 9:00 p.m. EST (0200 GMT)
From Correspondent Ralph Begleiter and wire reports
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Officials from Syria and Israel began an intense round of negotiations Wednesday, working to end nearly half a century of enmity and complete the ring of peace the Jewish state is forging with its Arab neighbors.
Israeli and Syrian negotiators drove more than an hour from Washington to the River House of Wye Plantation on Maryland's Eastern shore, amid farmland and away from all distractions.
"Everything is on the agenda," said an Israeli diplomat. The negotiators, wearing casual clothes, sat around a mahogany table with a bowl of white tulips in the middle.
The Clinton administration is taking an active role, participating in all sessions as the two Middle Eastern countries explore what kind of peace Israel could get if it returned the strategic Golan Heights to Syria.
"Our objective here is to try to provide them with a setting in which they can exercise as much flexibility as they need," said Glyn Davies, deputy State Department spokesman.
"The fact that they will stay together in a place, eat together and talk together ... is very conducive to a better understanding ... of each other's concerns and of the importance of looking at the other side as a human being with which it is possible to come to an agreement."
-- Egyptian Ambassador Ahmed El-Sayed
The 26-room Georgian mansion will house the Israeli and Syrian delegations until Friday and again between January 3 and 5. Secretary of State Warren Christopher then plans to take over the U.S. mediation with a trip to Damascus and Jerusalem.
"The fact that they will stay together in a place, eat together and talk together," said Egyptian Ambassador Ahmed El-Sayed, "... is very conducive to a better understanding ... of each other's concerns and of the importance of looking at the other side as a human being with which it is possible to come to an agreement."
Syrian President Hafez al-Assad sent his Washington Ambassador, Walid Moualem. Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres sent a close aide, Uri Savir, who was the secret negotiator behind the 1993 PLO-Israeli deal. Since then, Israel has gone farther with the Palestinians, and signed a treaty with Jordan. Syria seemed to be last in line.
Although previous talks between the two countries collapsed, Peres has widened the scope, acknowledging Syria's leadership role in crafting a "comprehensive" agreement.
At issue is the disputed Golan Heights, captured by Israel from Syria in 1967 and now the home of some 13,000 Jews. The two countries have fought three major wars since Israel's founding in 1948.
Syria, which is on the State Department's list of countries that support terrorism, is barred from most forms of U.S. assistance. Its status is under review, with an annual report to Congress due next month.
After a trip to the Middle East in mid-December, Christopher said Syria's performance in these negotiations "can be valuable" in making the assessment.
Raghida Dergham of the Arab Al Hayat newspaper said the Syrians believe they bring to the negotiating table more than just a bilateral relationship. "They are saying we'll bring along normalization with the whole Arab world -- economically, politically," she noted. "In that case Israel would have security with its neighbors and normalization and real peace in the whole region. It's an acceptance of Israel as a member of the region."
As a practical matter, that means ending the fighting still going on in Lebanon, where Syria still has more than 30,000 troops and where Israel still occupies a so-called "security" zone.
It also means peace with most of the rest of the Arab world, from the rich oil sheikdoms of the Persian Gulf to the Arabs of North Africa. Libya, Iraq and Iran, however, still oppose peace with Israel.
An overall deal would put Syria's president back in the driver's seat toward a crowning achievement instead of taking a back seat to the other Arab-Israeli deals.
U.S. officials hope the informality and tranquillity of the rural surroundings will lead Israel and Syria not only to settle their own differences, but also to reach an agreement that could put an end to nearly five decades of Arab-Israeli conflict.
AP contributed to this report
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