England to Host Mideast Peace Talks Next Month

Israeli and Palestinian leaders have agreed to hold separate meetings with Secretary of State Madeleine Albright in London in early May to try to break a yearlong impasse in their peace talks.

The meetings, to be hosted by British Prime Minister Tony Blair, were proposed by the United States and announced on Blair’s visit to the region, his first attempt at Middle East peacemaking.

Blair, who recently helped broker the historic Northern Ireland accord, said in Gaza City on Monday that he hopes a new round of Israeli-Palestinian talks will yield “actual, practical progress.”

But the plan for the May 4 meetings, for now, does not include a summit between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat. And with no indications of substantive change in the Israeli and Palestinian positions that have stymied progress since March 1997, it is far from certain that a breakthrough can be achieved.

Still, “talks are better than no talks,” an official close to the negotiations said Monday. “We’ll see how far we can go.”

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In Washington, State Department spokesman James P. Rubin said the United States is “looking for substantive decisions from the leaders, real decisions” in the London talks. Rubin also said that after months of stalemate, he could not rule out the possibility that Washington might end its Middle East mediation if progress is not made soon. Asked whether London will be a “make or break” session, he said, “It’s impossible to say that in advance.”

U.S. peace envoy Dennis B. Ross is expected to arrive here at the end of the week to work out the talks’ format and to lobby Israel and the Palestinians before the London meeting. His visit will be the latest in a recent series of unsuccessful attempts to prod the process.

The United States has offered proposals to restart the peace process and bring about a long-promised Israeli troop withdrawal from the West Bank. The U.S. plan calls for Israel to relinquish--in three stages--13% more territory to Palestinian control in exchange for steps by the Palestinians to crack down on Islamic militants opposed to the peace process.

At a news conference with Blair, Arafat said Monday that he accepted the U.S. proposals in principle but was still waiting for Washington to formally present them. He expressed skepticism about prospects for London, saying Netanyahu “gives promises to every world leader he meets. He has never carried out any of those promises.”

The Palestinians have full authority over 3% of the West Bank and share control with Israel over 24% more. They have said they hope to control 90% of the territory before beginning talks to determine a final peace settlement. Israeli officials say those hopes are unrealistic. The Israeli Cabinet has said it is prepared to give up no more than 10% of the West Bank in the next troop withdrawal and has called the U.S. figure of 13% unacceptable.

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Peace talks between the two sides broke down in March 1997 amid Palestinian anger over Israel’s decision to build a Jewish neighborhood in traditionally Arab East Jerusalem and Israeli outrage over a deadly bombing in Tel Aviv. Two more suicide attacks last summer contributed to the impasse.

But Netanyahu set the stage for Monday’s announcement by declaring after meeting with Blair on Sunday that he was prepared to go “anywhere, at any time” to negotiate peace.

As for Blair, he was careful to say that he sees his role and that of the European Union, whose rotating presidency he now holds, as complementing American efforts.

He stressed the importance of achieving an agreement soon, as frustration builds on both sides. “We cannot afford in this region to have this process slip away,” he said. “It is too important for stability and security not just for people here or in Israel or throughout the Middle East but throughout the world.”

While publicly eschewing a role in negotiations, Blair said he hopes to discuss economic concerns with the two sides in London. The EU is the largest donor to the 4-year-old Palestinian Authority and has long wanted to play a more prominent role in the peace process. But Israel, which considers many European governments closer to the Palestinian rather than the Israeli view, generally prefers U.S. mediation.

Arafat said he would welcome direct British participation in the political talks, which Israel almost certainly would oppose. “We are seeking a four-way meeting,” he said. “Our position has always been that the European Union must have a vital, effective role in this peace process.”

Meanwhile, in a reminder of military issues in the region, Defense Secretary William S. Cohen said on a visit here Monday that the United States is ready to fund research and development for a third battery of Israel’s Arrow missile system. In February, as tensions rose during a United Nations standoff with Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, Israel asked that its Arrow program be expanded. The Arrow is supposed to track and destroy incoming missiles, such as those fired at Israel by Iraq in the 1991 Persian Gulf War.

Cohen said that until Congress approves an appropriation, he cannot discuss the U.S. share of the Arrow program.

Times special correspondent Fayed Abu Shammalah in Gaza City contributed to this report.