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Back to Ambassadorial Speeches - Ambassador Itamar Rabinovich
Press Conference with Ambassador Itamar Rabinovich Outside the State Department on the Israel-Syria Talks September 9, 1993
Q: Hello.
AMBASSADOR RABINOVICH: Hello. Good morning.
Q: How's it going, Ambassador? Where do we stand on the agreement --
AMB. RABINOVICH: It will be Jerusalem that will be making the announcement on
the status...
With regard to the Palestinian agreement, we hear optimistic reports, but
definitive, authoritative announcements will be made in Jerusalem, not here by
us.
Q: Mr. Ambassador, Uri Savir said this morning in Paris that "agreement was
reached," quote, unquote.
AMB. RABINOVICH: Yes.
Q: Would you --
AMB. RABINOVICH: Well, I'm delighted he did. We have not received official
word that it has been finalized. I'm delighted that Uri Savir is reported to
have made that statement. As I said, we do hear optimistic reports, but we
will not be the ones here to issue the statement. That statement will come
out of Jerusalem.
Q: Well would you guide as away from what Mr. Savir is saying?
AMB. RABINOVICH: Pardon?
Q: Would you guide us away?
AMB. RABINOVICH: No, I'm not guiding you -- no, not at all. I'm saying I'm
delighted that he made -- that he is reported to have made a statement. As I
said, we also hear optimistic reports, but we wait official word from
Jerusalem. And as I said to you, official announcements, definitive
announcements, will come from Jerusalem.
Q: Mr. Ambassador, what do you think about Monday? Would these negotiations
continue, in your view, should they continue? Should there be a pause when
this agreement is signed or --
AMB. RABINOVICH: Well, the round is to end in any event on Monday, so there is
no point of continuing the negotiations beyond Monday. Monday itself, the
schedule -- nobody's schedule is definite yet in any event. So we are
continuing today as usual. The peace process and the negotiations with Syria
continue as usual regardless of what precisely transpires on Monday.
Q: Can you give us a status report on the Israeli-Jordanian agreement that has
tentatively been reached?
AMB. RABINOVICH: No, nothing authoritative. That is to say, there was a draft
of a Jordanian-Israeli agenda that was finalized several months ago, or almost
finalized several months ago. The news was first released by the Jordanians.
It was not finalized; the last two inches of the agreement were not bridged at
the time and no signing or initialing was done at the time. There now is a
much better prospect of finalizing the agenda and signing it at some future
point. Q Mr. Ambassador, I know it's a highly hypothetical question, (but I'd
like to ask anyway ?). If there is a signing ceremony Monday, at what level
would you expect the document to be signed? Who --
AMB. RABINOVICH: No, it really is highly hypothetical, and I said as long as
we do not have final closure on the agreement we do not deal, certainly not in
public, with details of the signing ceremony.
Q: And would you mind giving us sort of a status report -- or maybe it would
be better to ask you at your departure, but a status report on your
negotiations on the Syrian track?
AMB. RABINOVICH: It really would be better to do it as we come out, if you
don't mind.
One last question in Hebrew.
Q: (In Hebrew.)
AMB. RABINOVICH: (In Hebrew.)
AMB. RABINOVICH: Hello. With your permission, we'll do it swiftly today. I'm
in a hurry.
Q: Will you continue talking on Monday?
AMB. RABINOVICH: We plan to, unless there is a signing ceremony which would
change our timetable and plans. But in terms of the Syrian-Israeli track, we
are on for Monday, as I said, unless other circumstances intervene.
Q: Mr. Allaf said you had new ideas today you discussed with him. Could you
please elaborate on the ideas --
AMB. RABINOVICH: No, I'd rather not elaborate. I'd just describe the areas;
they deal with the framework of paragraph five, the relationship between the
preamble to that paragraph and the actual sub-paragraphs; and then the -- some
formulations regarding security that we went back to with a view to trying to
finalize agreement in that paragraph on which some significant progress has
been made during this round.
Q: (Off mike.)
AMB. RABINOVICH: About?
Q: Your ideas -- (off mike) --
AMB. RABINOVICH: No, it's -- you know, when we finalize them we'll speak about
them in greater detail. For the time being, I'd rather remain at this level
of generality.
Q: (Off mike.)
AMB. RABINOVICH: Pardon?
Q: What are the obstacles so far?
AMB. RABINOVICH: Well, the obstacle is still the Syrian inability to explain
to us the precise nature of the peace that we could have, and to come to an
agreement on security as the right basis on which we can elaborate and develop
and articulate our precise and full position with regard to withdrawal.
Q: Did the Syrians accept your ideas? I mean, is this going anywhere?
AMB. RABINOVICH: They have not yet fully accepted. But is it going anywhere?
Yes, it's going places because there is a real give and take, there is a real
dialogue.
Q: (Off mike.)
AMB. RABINOVICH: Well, almost, but not quite. And, you know, this may not be
a huge distance, but a distance it is, and it's something that -- it's a very
crucial and sensitive issue and it's difficult to finalize an agreement.
Q: (Off mike.)
AMB. RABINOVICH: No, I think we are both determined to issue a comprehensive
declaration of principles and not to break it down to each segment.
Thank you very much.
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