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Clinton urges Israelis, Palestinians to compromise

WASHINGTON: US President Bill Clinton, in a meeting with Palestinian President Yasser Arafat on Thursday, urged Israelis and Palestinians to be flexible as they worked to hammer out a peace agreement.

"In any process like this there must be inevitable and difficult compromises," Clinton said as he began a meeting with Arafat in the Oval Office. "No one can get everything that either side wants but I am convinced we can get there."

Arafat, who has shown frustration at the slow pace of "final status" talks with the Israelis, said he realised peace would not be easy.

"There is no doubt that there will be difficulties along the way," Arafat said. "But there is also determination that we will have to reach the comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East."

"Final status" talks touch on the most difficult issues in the Arab-Israeli conflict, including Jerusalem, refugees and the borders and status of the Palestinian territories.

After nearly an hour of talks with Clinton, Arafat expressed confidence in forging peace soon.

"I'm sure and we are determined to complete our endeavour of achieving the goals of comprehensive peace during the tenure of President Clinton," he told reporters outside the White House. Clinton began his last year in office on Thursday.

Earlier, State Department spokesman James Rubin said U.S. officials had urged Israelis and Palestinians to be flexible on their toughest disputes so they can meet the "formidable challenge" of reaching a framework agreement by a Feb. 13 deadline.

The framework deal is meant to pave the way for a full agreement by September.

When Clinton was asked if meeting that deadline was possible, he said: "I am convinced it's possible for them to reach a comprehensive peace in a reasonably short period of time and I'm going to do whatever I can to facilitate it."

Arafat, who met earlier in the day with Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, called his meeting with Clinton "fruitful and productive" and said the main point of their discussions was how to move the peace process ahead.

"I asked him for his help and personal intervention to ensure that the marathon talks in all spheres of the Palestinian-Israeli tracks would lead to the objective we set forth," he said.

On the separate question of the next Israeli withdrawal, Arafat said Israel should withdraw from another 6.1 percent of the West Bank within the next two weeks.

It was widely expected that the Israelis would withdraw within the three-week grace period allowed in the deal which Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak signed in Egypt in September.

Clinton had planned to meet Barak himself this week, along with Syrian Foreign Minister Farouq al-Shara. But the third round of revived Israeli-Syrian peace talks was put off because of differences over the fate of the Golan Heights.

Albright tried to appease Palestinian fears that the Syrian track will distract attention from their negotiations.

"She made very clear that the United States does not see the Syria track taking away from our interest and focus on trying to be helpful in resolving the issues between Israel and the Palestinians," spokesman Rubin said.-Reuters