Baker to Urge New Steps to Mideast Peace

Secretary of State James A. Baker III, launching a drive for new security arrangements in the Middle East, indicated Thursday that he will propose a series of “confidence-building measures” between Israel and its Arab neighbors to open a path to broader peace talks.

Baker, en route to Saudi Arabia on the first leg of an 11-day diplomatic tour, said the ideas could allow Israel and Arab countries to begin dealing with each other on “pragmatic, practical steps” without requiring the Arabs to formally recognize the Jewish state.

Baker also told reporters that if the Palestinians want to meet with him, “I would of course be pleased to meet with them.”

A senior official said that Baker had not personally sought a meeting with Palestinians because they are in “turmoil” after supporting Iraqi President Saddam Hussein “and we don’t want . . . to exacerbate that, and we don’t want to be seen as somehow anointing certain Palestinians.”

Elsewhere Thursday, a major new diplomatic initiative was signaled at the United Nations, where high officials said Secretary General Javier Perez de Cuellar intends to name veteran Swiss diplomat Edouard Brunner, 59, as his special representative to the Middle East.

The officials added that selection of Brunner, Switzerland’s current ambassador to the United States, to the post formerly held by Gunnar Jarring of Sweden, means that Perez de Cuellar intends during his last year in office to move the United Nations to the forefront of the peace process in the Mideast.

On his plane, Baker told reporters that the victory of the U.S.-led coalition in the Persian Gulf War has created “a significant change in this region.”

“It may be that both sides might have some interest in exploring confidence-building measures of some sort, an approach that was used in Europe with some degree of success,” he said, while cautioning: “That doesn’t take it all the way to recognition, or sitting down in formal negotiations or anything like that.”

His mention of Europe was a reference to the 1975 Helsinki conference, which set up a system of confidence-building measures that helped pave the way for the Soviet Union to withdraw its armies from the Continent 14 years later.

Other U.S. officials said the possible measures that Baker hopes to discuss with Arab and Israeli officials include an end to the Arab embargo on trade with Israel and agreements on water rights and arms control, beginning with limits on ballistic missiles and nuclear, chemical and biological weapons.

The approach, a departure from the recent pattern of U.S. diplomacy in the Middle East, is intended to promote Arab-Israeli agreements on secondary issues in hopes of building a foundation for negotiations on more difficult matters--particularly Israel’s occupation of the Arab-populated West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Baker said the goal of his diplomacy will be to move on “two tracks”--to promote peace between Israel and the Arab states and to pursue at the same time a settlement between Israel and the Palestinians who live under occupation.

That, too, is a change from Baker’s earlier efforts, which focused on arranging Israeli-Palestinian talks. It was adopted, aides said, because the Arab states appear more willing than ever before to consider talking with Jerusalem--and because the Palestine Liberation Organization has damaged its standing with Saudi Arabia and other Arab states by supporting Iraq in the war.

“We think it’s reasonable in the aftermath of what has happened in the region to approach the peace process from both sides of it; that is, from the Arab state-Israel side and from the Israel-Palestinian dialogue side,” Baker said. “As you know, we have spent a good deal of time earlier on working to bring about an Israeli-Palestinian dialogue. That is still a very, very important component of the whole process as we see it, but we don’t think that either of these two tracks is mutually exclusive.”

In fact, Baker aides said, the Palestinian side of the equation is likely to lag for some time, because neither the United States nor several key Arab countries want to deal with the current leadership of the PLO.

The decision to name Brunner is one of several Mideast initiatives the United Nations is undertaking.

Brunner’s upcoming appointment comes at a time when the Security Council is preparing to take up the difficult issue of reparations to Kuwait by Iraq and an eventual cease-fire resolution. On Thursday, the council committee that supervises sanctions against Iraq approved shipment to Baghdad of a variety of items, including spare parts for pumping stations, medicines and infant formula.

In Washington, White House Press Secretary Marlin Fitzwater said the allied victory in the Gulf War has provided “a new chance and a new environment” to settle the decades of dispute between Arabs and Israelis.

Fitzwater said that “the war has also produced some recognition of the fact that geography alone cannot guarantee security and that the countries of the region need to be talking to each other and need to be considering their security in a new context.”

“It’s out of those basic new relationships that we are hopeful that some momentum can be produced for peace,” he said.

Fitzwater said he does not expect President Bush to become directly involved in hammering out a Middle East agreement, as Jimmy Carter did in 1979 when he negotiated the Camp David agreements with Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat.

As he prepared to launch his diplomatic drive, Baker said he believes there is already “a large degree of consensus” among Israel, the Arab states and the major arms-producing countries in favor of limits on the sale of weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East.

“It will be more difficult, I believe, to deal with the question of conventional weapons,” he said.

Times staff writers John J. Goldman at the United Nations and James Gerstenzang in Washington contributed to this story.

BAKER TOUR

Secretary of State James A. Baker III, in the wake of the coalition victory against Iraq, embarked on an 11-day mission. Among his destinations:

Kuwait, where he is expected to discuss the subject of free elections and the reconstruction of the nation.

Saudi Arabia, where he intends to sound out its leaders on whether Arab attitudes toward Israel have changed since the war with Iraq.

Egypt, where one topic may be aid for its war-strained economy.

Israel, where he will discuss ways to bridge Arab-Israeli differences and aid for weathering the Iraqi missile attacks.

Syria, where Arab-Israeli relations may be raised.

Soviet Union, where he will meet with President Mikhail Gorbachev and Foreign Minister Alexander Bessmertnykh.

Turkey, where aid for its war-strained economy may be on the agenda.

Source: Associated Press