Shamir Draws Baker Rebuke on Peace Stance

Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir set strict conditions on Palestinian peace talks Wednesday, drawing a stinging rebuke from U.S. Secretary of State James A. Baker III and getting relations between Israel’s new right-wing government and Washington off to a rocky start.

In a newspaper interview, Shamir appeared to tighten conditions for Palestinians to enter peace talks with Israel. He said Palestinian negotiators must first accept his offer of limited self-rule in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip. His government platform already bars Palestinians who live in Jerusalem from participating, a policy that puts it in conflict with the Bush Administration.

In addition, Shamir insisted, progress must be made in getting talks under way with neighboring Arab states if Palestinian peace talks are to proceed.

“It is impossible to conceive that we could reach any sort of serious understanding between us and the Palestinian sector without further understanding and progress in the relations between Israel and the Arab states,” Shamir told the English-language Jerusalem Post.

Baker, in an appearance before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said if Israel puts stiff conditions on Palestinian talks, “there won’t be any dialogue, there won’t be any peace.”

“It’s going to take some really good faith, affirmative effort on the part of our good friends in Israel, and if we don’t get it and if we can’t get it quickly . . . everybody over there should know that the (White House) telephone number is 1-202-456-1414. When you’re serious about peace, call us,” Baker said sarcastically.

For the first time, Baker described a sequence of negotiations that, in his view, were on the verge of success. In February, the United States offered Israel a chance to select a Palestinian peace panel from a list of potential delegates, he said.

“Palestinians from the (occupied) territories . . . were prepared to come to the table and they were prepared to talk with Israelis about elections,” Baker said. “It’s hard for us to understand why we didn’t get a yes answer (from Israel).”

“We were very, very close to putting together an historic, first-time-ever dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians,” Baker said. “Had the dialogue actually begun, I don’t think we would be facing the situation that we are facing in the Middle East today.”

Baker said the Bush Administration remains ready to rejoin peace negotiations. But he said there would be no point in the United States taking additional action as long as Shamir tries to impose harsh preconditions on Palestinian negotiators.

Although Baker has been known for some time to believe that Shamir is an obstacle to peace, he had never before displayed his irritation in public. Nevertheless, Baker said the Administration is “willing to let bygones be bygones” and would welcome a fence-mending visit from the Israeli prime minister.

While Baker seemed to blame Israel for the impasse, he said Palestinians and Arab states also must adopt a more flexible attitude.

He said Palestinians should “look beyond the tragic human losses that they have suffered and recommit themselves to the political process.” And he said Arab states should “do more to create an environment that can support Israeli-Palestinian reconciliation.”

Just the day before, Israel’s new government had moved quickly to try to smooth relations with the United States by inviting a United Nations observer to visit. Early Tuesday, William A. Brown, the U.S. ambassador to Israel, called Israeli officials and urged them to permit a special envoy from the United Nations to visit and investigate conditions in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

The United States had expressed its backing for such a visit after the slayings of seven Palestinian workers by a deranged Israeli gunman last month. The slayings sparked a surge in violence in the occupied lands.

Shamir decided to do Brown one better; he would not only permit the envoy to come but also invite him to Israel, Foreign Ministry sources said.

“It was a show of good will to Washington,” said a Foreign Ministry official. Israel wanted to avoid a conflict with the U.N. Security Council, which was under pressure to take up the issue of sending a delegation, the official explained.

“We wanted to preempt such a move,” the Foreign Ministry official explained, adding that Israel is demanding that the envoy visit other Middle East countries during the tour.

The invitation to the U.N. delegate was immediately criticized by backers of the new government who saw it as a surrender to outside pressure, or, in the words of one Parliament member, to the “insolent demands of Israel’s enemies.”

Shamir tried to play down the significance of the impending visit, noting that the head of the U.N. delegation, special envoy Jean-Claude Aime, visits the region frequently.

“And this will be another visit,” Shamir said, brushing aside a reporter’s question.

Shamir’s mandate as prime minister was confirmed Monday by a slim majority in the Knesset, Israel’s Parliament, which approved a coalition Cabinet made up of right wing and religious parties.

Times staff writer Norman Kempster, in Washington, contributed to this story.