Rabin Decries Syrian Stance on PLO Accord

Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, heaping scorn on Syrian President Hafez Assad for refusing to support the Israel-PLO peace agreement, said Tuesday that his government believes it is far more important to solidify peace with the Palestinians than to negotiate a pact with Damascus.

In a speech to the National Press Club marking the end of his five-day visit to the United States, Rabin said that it is time for Syria to take steps to build confidence in the peace process, not so much for Israel as for the Palestine Liberation Organization and its chairman, Yasser Arafat.

“I cannot but ask myself why Syria doesn’t come in support of the PLO, in support of the PLO decision to sign the agreement with us; why Syria allows rejectionist Palestinian organizations freedom and assistance in attacking of Israel, Arafat (and) the PLO for signing the agreement,” Rabin said.

He called on the Syrians “not to allow . . . the use of radio stations that broadcast from Syria to the Palestinians in the (Israeli-occupied) territories against the agreement,” and he objected to their allowing radical Palestinian Ahmed Jibril “to say on television that the fate of Arafat will be the fate of (slain Egyptian President Anwar) Sadat; his own people will assassinate him.”

Syria, which is continuing to negotiate its own peace agreement with Israel, has talked for years about the importance of self-determination for the Palestinians but now has held back from supporting the agreement negotiated earlier this year, allowing many Palestinian organizations that oppose the pact to maintain their headquarters in Damascus. The Syrians have long demanded a “comprehensive” Arab-Israeli settlement in which no Arab party would make peace until all were satisfied.

And although Rabin said that his government seeks peace with all of its Arab neighbors, he made it clear that he is in no hurry to reach agreement with Syria and Assad. His remarks seemed to place a new obstacle in the way of Secretary of State Warren Christopher’s hope of ending the negotiating stalemate between Israel and Syria. Christopher plans to visit the Middle East early next month to try to bridge the gap between Israel and its Arab neighbors.

“I believe at this stage to prove that the agreement that was reached (with the PLO) can be implemented is more important than to sign another agreement,” Rabin said. “. . . We’ll continue negotiations with the Syrians, but the Syrians have to prove that they support another Arab partner’s decision to reach an agreement with Israel, not to do the opposite.”

Israel and Syria reached tentative agreement on four articles of a five-article peace agreement more than a year ago, but they are deadlocked on the final article, the one covering the crucial question of Israeli withdrawal from the Golan Heights and the nature of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Assad has hinted recently that he will pull out of the Washington-based talks if they do not show progress soon.