December 1989, Page 38

Words To Remember

Secretary of State Baker's Five Points of Light

1. An Israeli-Palestinian dialogue should take place.

2. Egypt will consult Palestinians on the composition of their delegation but will not speak on their behalf.

3. israel's participation in a Cairo meeting indicates its acceptance of the composition of the Palestinian delegation.

4. Israel's May 14 proposal for elections in the occupied territories will be the basis for discussion, although the Palestinians may raise other issues.

5. A three-way meeting in Washington among Egyptian Foreign Minister Esmat Abdel Meguid, his Israeli counterpart Moshe Arens and US Secretary of State James Baker may be useful in coordinating efforts.

US Secretary of State James Baker (Oct. 8):

"This is not a separate or competing proposal. What we are trying to do is to implement the basic Shamir election proposal."

US State Department Spokeswoman Margaret Tutwiler (Oct. 10):

"The Secretary is working with the government of Israel and the government of Egypt trying to produce a framework that would meet Israel's and Egypt's basic concerns about beginning a dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians."

Egypt's Ambassador to Israel Mohammed Bassouni (Oct. 11):

"Nobody can choose the delegation of the other party. You are never able to choose the people you will talk with. I think the Palestinians have all the right to choose their delegation."

The New York Times Correspondent Thomas L. Friedman, quoting an unnamed American official (Oct. 12):

"We're acting on the assumption that Shamir wants to say yes, but that he has certain political needs which have to be addressed, as does the other side. We want to go the extra mile in trying to satisfy everyone's domestic needs. If we can put something together that is sensitive to both sides' needs and Shamir accepts it, then it shows he was serious. If we put something together that is sensitive and he comes up with more excuses, then it will show everyone that he was not serious."

Steven L. Spiegel, UCLA authority on US-Israeli relations (Oct. 15):

"Before, you had bold risk-takers in Jimmy Carter, Anwar Sadat and Menachem Begin. What you have left are survivors: Hosni Mubarak, Yitzhak Shamir, Yasser Arafat and George Bush. You are not going to get bold moves from these gentlemen. The only way to succeed is to out-manipulate these manipulators and out-survive these survivors and Baker has tailored his approach to that end."

Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir (Oct. 18):

"We will stand firm and not give in, even if we face a clash. . . We are not anxious to have a quarrel with the United States. However, the United States must know that Israel will stand on the issue of the land of Israel until the very end. . . The [Palestinian] populace. . . will eventually grow disappointed both with the intifada and with the PLO and then conclude that they must negotiate with us on the basis of our initiative. I hope that will not take long."

Israeli Foreign Minister Moshe Arens, in a cable to US Secretary of State Baker (Oct. 24):

"[Israel is ready] to accept in principle Baker's five points with slight modifications that are needed to make sure that Israel's concerns are adequately met."

US State Department spokeswoman Margaret Tutwiler (Oct. 24): "Hypothetically, if whatever is in the letter should change the five points, you could not then turn around and say you have agreement on the five points."

US Secretary of State James Baker (Oct. 25): "[The five points were] designed, in fact, to implement the Israeli government's own proposals for elections. But if we start making changes for one side, we will find ourselves in an extended negotiating session in terms of making changes that might be requested, for instance, by Egypt. It would be much better if both sides would accept the five points as a general framework for moving forward. And then let's get on with the nitty-gritty business of sitting down face to face and determining the rules that would govern the Palestinian elections in the territories."

Yossi Ben Aharon, Israeli chief of cabinet (Oct. 30):

"We do have a very real argument with the United States. . . because they insist on working in such a way that will involve the PLO. And this is where we differ and why it is so difficult. We differ not just in the conception of how to move forward, but in perception and analysis of the situation."

Washington Post Correspondent Jackson Diehl (Nov. 5):

"Shamir's continued insistence on the exclusion of the PLO is at odds with the stand of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. . . Egypt has yet to respond formally to the Baker plan and has been waiting for the PLO to adopt a position."

The New York Times Correspondent Thoman Friedman (Nov. 5):

"One compromise being discussed is that the Palestinian delegation be made up of West Bank and Gaza leaders and two Palestinians deported from those territories for pro-PLO activities."

Israeli Finance Minister Shimon Peres (Nov. 5):

"We thought the five-point plan should have been accepted long ago. Basically we have now accepted the five points with some assurances."

The New York Times Correspondent Joel Brinkley (Nov. 5):

"[Israeli cabinet approval] comes two weeks before Mr. Shamir is scheduled to visit the United States, where he could have expected a chilly reception had Israel continued to rebuff the Baker plan. Today's vote. . . seems to forestall a coalition crisis between Likud and the Labor Party. Labor had threatened to leave the government if Mr. Shamir did not accept the American plan. But as Shamir mollified the Labor Party, he infuriated three powerful and hard-line Likud ministers to his right."

Israeli Deputy Prime Minister David Levy (a hard-liner) (Nov. 5):

"This is a turning point, and perhaps each of us will have to take account."

Rashid Khalidi, University of Chicago authority on US-Arab relations (Nov. 5):

"I would suggest that Shamir and Arens have succeeded brilliantly in getting the administration tied up, with no end in sight."