Only PR in Peres's pouch

More mixed signals from the Israeli government as Cairo played host to a meeting between Arafat and Peres, reports Nevine Khalil
When Palestinian President Yasser Arafat and Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres met in Cairo on Sunday, there were hopes that a breakthrough that would end 10 months of violence and relaunch a political dialogue might be in the air. But within hours, it became apparent that the encounter -- not dissimilar from the one that took place between the two men in Lisbon in June, was nothing more than a public relations exercise.
Little has changed on the ground, with the flurry of accusations and counter- accusations still plaguing a supposed cease-fire. Sunday's meeting was reminiscent of the days of former Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, a hard-liner who took every opportunity to meet with leaders, shake hands, smile for the cameras -- even sign agreements he never intended to honour -- and then go home to continue exactly the same policy of belligerence.
Peres, who came to Cairo for talks with President Hosni Mubarak and Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher, was told by Egyptian officials that Israel must launch negotiations immediately and not wait for an elusive period of "zero violence", as such a condition is unrealistic. The Egyptian side stressed that security talks must go hand-in-hand with a political dialogue and that Palestinian suffering must be alleviated. The necessity of international observers to monitor confrontations in the self-rule and occupied territories was also pressed on Peres, but the demand fell on deaf ears. "If we don't have an agreement, there is nothing to observe," Peres told reporters.
His sojourn in Cairo gave Peres a platform to reassure the Arab side that his government has no intention of carrying out a number of rumoured attacks, including a massive attack against the Palestinians and plans to re-occupy Palestinian-controlled areas. He also denied claims that Israel was planning to assassinate Arafat.
Mubarak met Arafat and Peres separately before the two sat down together. With Arafat, Mubarak discussed the daily Israeli aggressions against the Palestinians and reports in the authoritative British newsletter Jane's Foreign Report that the Israeli army is readying to destroy the Palestinian Authority's fighting forces in a massive offensive, to be launched after the next suicide bombing. The reports followed statements by Israeli officials that a hit-list containing the names of 25 Palestinian activists has been compiled for elimination, as well as reports in the Israeli press that Sharon's government is entertaining ideas of killing Arafat.
Peres showered the Egyptians with reassurances that these reports were baseless. He said that reports of a full offensive were "totally unfounded," adding that Israel does not have "any intention whatsoever to either ground attack or kill Arafat. In our eyes, Arafat is the elected leader of the Palestinians. All these stories that we want to [re-occupy] the territories, dismantle the PA or affect the position of Arafat are total nonsense."
Peres further assured Mubarak that Tel Aviv wanted to clear up the "sick and poisoned" atmosphere in the region. "We lost the capacity to listen to one another," said Peres. "We have to speak face to face, look each other straight in the eyes and see how to solve our problems."
Maher countered, however, that Peres "did not come with anything new." Earlier, Maher had struck a more optimistic note, intimating that during a one-on- one lunch meeting with Peres, he had "detected something that might be new from Mr Peres." But it later became clear that Peres carried no more than conciliatory words in his diplomatic pouch.
"We listened to intentions [from Israel], but they need to be translated into precise and practical action," Maher told reporters. "The Palestinians have lost confidence, and Israel must regain their trust." The Palestinian Authority (PA) affirmed that the Arafat-Peres meeting did not make any progress.
All concerned parties and mediators have embrace the recommendations of the Mitchell report, prepared by an international panel formed to monitor the ongoing violence and suggest ways to bring the parties back to the negotiating table. The report recommends a cease- fire, followed by a brief cooling-off period and then a series of confidence- building measures, including a crackdown on Palestinian militants by the PA and a freeze on settlement building by the Israeli government.
But peace envoys from the US, European Union and Russia have been unable to defuse tensions. Mubarak told a gathering of judicial figures on Sunday that "reaching a cease-fire and achieving a just and comprehensive peace is a challenge for the international community, which must shoulder this responsibility."
Russian envoy Andrei Vdovin, who met Mubarak and Peres separately on the same day, said it was "imperative that all efforts be consolidated so as to avoid catastrophe." Vdovin reiterated the need for international observers to determine the initiators of violence.
According to Peres, the Israelis want to see the cessation of hostilities, the cessation of incitement and an improvement of the situation in the [Palestinian] territories. "Israel is searching for a political solution, not a military solution," he said.
Cairo urged the Israelis to implement the Mitchell report and move on the security and political tracks simultaneously. But while Peres insisted that the Mitchell report was "the basic document to lead to peace," it appears the Israeli minister was not making eye contact or listening during his meetings on Sunday. "Our position is that we do not negotiate under fire," he said.
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