Albright Feels Upbeat After Mideast Talks

Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, long frustrated by the deadlocked Middle East peace process, expressed unaccustomed optimism Tuesday after extensive meetings here with Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat and in Jerusalem with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“I have spent one of the pleasanter mornings of my time in this region,” Albright told a news conference with Arafat at her side.

Nevertheless, she said that troublesome problems remain in advance of a meeting of Netanyahu, Arafat and President Clinton in Washington this month. Hopes have been raised that the summit will produce a deal for Israel to remove its troops from another chunk of the West Bank.

Albright joined Netanyahu for dinner Tuesday and is set to meet again today with both leaders separately in talks that will be concluded with a three-sided meeting.

Despite Albright’s upbeat tone, there were few indications from either Netanyahu or Arafat that any agreement between the two sides is imminent. Shortly after Netanyahu’s meeting with Albright, the Israeli leader announced that his government will go ahead with plans to fortify homes in Tel Rumeida, a Jewish settlement near the West Bank city of Hebron.

The action is sure to anger the Palestinians, who have demanded an end to Israeli settlement in the West Bank as part of the peace deal.

Asked during a joint news conference with Netanyahu about the Tel Rumeida decision, Albright said, “We would hope very much that there would not be any unilateral actions that complicate the issues we are trying to deal with here.”

For his part, Netanyahu said the decision on the settlement was taken “without any connection to the secretary of State’s visit.”

Asked at a briefing later how Albright could express optimism in the face of the settlement decision, State Department spokesman James P. Rubin said: “She was encouraged that both leaders are getting down to business. The mood was the right mood. . . . It is possible to see the way to put the peace process back on track, but it is not on track now.”

Albright said the Israeli-Palestinian peace process is in danger of breaking down completely unless Netanyahu, Arafat and Clinton reach fundamental agreement in Washington.

“Our challenge now is to move forward and actually conclude the details of an agreement,” she said in Jericho. “There are tough choices that need to be made.”

Officials were coy about the summit’s timing. Israeli sources said Netanyahu must be in Jerusalem for the opening of parliament Oct. 19. They said that means the summit must run sometime between Oct. 15 and 18 or begin Oct. 20. With Washington promising open-ended talks that would last until a settlement is reached or until the deadlock sets in again, the later date seems more likely.

Meanwhile, the Israeli far right reiterated its threat to withdraw political support from Netanyahu if he makes further concessions to the Palestinians.

Times staff writer Tracy Wilkinson in Jerusalem contributed to this story.