Netanyahu Says Ready to Meet With Arafat in London

April 22, 1998 - 0:0
TEL-AVIV, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday he is ready to meet with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in London once progress is made in exploratory talks with the Americans. U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright is to hold separate meetings in the British capital on May 4 with Netanyahu and Arafat on the scope of an Israeli troop withdrawal in the West Bank. Arafat said Monday he was willing to meet with Netanyahu after those talks, provided Albright and British Prime Minister Tony Blair also participated.

Albright has summoned Netanyahu and Arafat for separate meetings in the past, each time with expectations that those talks would lead to a summit. Arafat and Netanyahu last met in October. Blair reiterated Tuesday that he hoped to host both leaders in London and try to make progress on economic issues, such as the operation of a Palestinian airport and of an industrial park.

He said he did not want to compete with the Americans, only to complement their peace initiative. The British would do whatever we can in whatever limited way to support the Mideast peace process, he said after his breakfast meeting with Netanyahu. Britain holds the rotating presidency of the European Union. U.S. State Department Spokesman James Rubin said Tuesday that Albright expected Netanyahu and Arafat to make difficult decision in the May 4 meetings and that she was getting impatient.

The time is running out for these hard decisions to be made, he said. Rubin did not rule out that the United States would withdraw as Mideast mediator should the May 4 talks end inconclusively. (Reuter)