Reply #19: 7/13/2000 Guardian: Anger at peace talks 'meddling'(Perle sabotages talks)

[Stephanie]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,342857,00.html

Anger at peace talks 'meddling'
Political scandal in US as Bush advisers tell Israelis to be ready to walk out of Camp David negotiations

Israel and the Middle East: special report

Julian Borger in Washington
Thursday July 13, 2000
The Guardian

The Middle East peace talks at Camp David became the subject of a political scandal in the US last night when reports emerged that one of George W Bush's foreign policy advisers had warned the Israeli delegation to be prepared to walk out of negotiations.

Richard Perle, a veteran cold war warrior and former assistant secretary of state, urged the Israeli prime minister, Ehud Barak, not to agree to any settlement which left the future status of Jerusalem unresolved, according to the New York Post website.

The website quoted a message received by Mr Barak yesterday from two of his emissaries, Yoram Ben-Ze'ev and Yossi Alpher. The two men said Mr Perle "asked us to send a clear message" to Mr Barak that it would be a "catastrophe" if the Jerusalem question was not dealt with, and urged him "to walk away" from the Camp David negotiations if faced with that outcome.

Mr Bush's office had no comment on the report yesterday. Mr Ben-Ze'ev, contacted by mobile phone, said he was in Houston, Texas - Governor Bush's home state - but would not explain the purpose of his visit and also refused to comment on the newspaper report. <more at link>