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PRESS: Speaker Burg, may I start with you, please, sir?
This has been called -- is being called in the American press a make-or-break summit. I mean, it's all or nothing at this summit. You either do it here, or you go home and violence is going interrupt and the whole thing is going to fall apart.
Are the stakes really that high?
BURG: It's make or break, or the third alternative. I mean, that's the nature of politics and that's the nature of the Middle East. But it's a moment of truth. It's a moment of truth because of the political system of both the Palestinian and the Israeli ones, and what's at stake: because if we won't exploit this opportunity, there will be a next ground of violence. And as somebody who has children in the army and as somebody who really cares for the children of the Palestinians, I do not want to see anymore brutality.
And that I feel, I believe, is the feeling on our side, and I hope is the same feeling on the Palestinian side, to enable us to make a real breakthrough at this summit.
PRESS: But how realistic is it? I understand the president has got until July 19th, when he flies off to Okinawa. I mean, there are so many unresolved issues. We've been working at these, you've been working at these so long -- in nine days, do you really think you can get it all done?
BURG: There is no doubt that it takes more than a hundred days to overcome a century of bloodshed, but in a situation like this, every day is a day too late. And whatever will be accomplished at this summit I hope it will bring an agreement -- if it won't bring to an agreement, at least to a higher level of understanding that whenever the next round will be we shall start with a better understanding of what are the possibilities between the two sides.
PRESS: Just to get one issue on the table, do you see -- do you accept the eventuality that there will be a Palestinian state at the end of this process?
BURG: Not only this. I'm a peace activist for so many years, and I've paid so many personal prices and political prices for this position that for me to see myself and Hanan Ashrawi at the same studio, and we've been on the crossfire at home in Ramallah a couple of years ago, literally speaking and trying to promote peace.
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BURG: It was real live crossfire in Ramallah. Both of us at her place. And to see Chairman Arafat and Prime Minister Barak negotiating for me is a fulfillment of a dream.
But I'll say -- I'll put it like this. In a situation like this, I do believe that we can do it, and if we believe that we can do it -- because it's good, because it is needed, because Israel does not want to live in war anymore, we do not want to be occupiers anymore -- I believe this is what will bring, this is what will make it: the motivation of the people.
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MATALIN: OK, Mr. Speaker, this is -- let me switch to politics. Help us Americans out with this. We live and die by the polls. The last poll we saw showed Barak attending a summit, favorability amongst Israelis 55-45. Ehud Barak ran on and won decisively on the peace issue, in only the what, the second direct election in Israel. We don't understand the disconnect between the Knesset reaction to his coming here and the popular support for the peace initiative. What's the disconnect with the government and the people there?
BURG: First of all, welcome to Middle East politics. There is not necessarily any kind of connection. But I put it like this, it has something to do with the deepest popular support for peace in the Israel society. We want peace.
And I talked today prime minister a couple hours ago, yes, a couple of hours ago, and I told him, listen Mr. Prime Minister, if you come back from Camp David with a agreement, as painful as it will be when it comes to the practical implementation of it, but if you come with a distinctly fair one, I can promise you the support of the Knesset.
The only thing is that is very problematic of the Israeli public opinion, can Hanan Ashrawi call Yasser Arafat and tell him, listen, we shall support you at every, the most difficult compromise you will make, because if, God forbid, the two leaders there at Camp David will not be able to make a compromise because they won't have the support of the popular of the people or the support of the parliamentarian system, there won't be peace. Barak is courageous enough to take the initiative for peace. I hope that Arafat has enough support of Hanan- like people to enable him to take this kind of decision.
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MATALIN: Speaker Burg, what does -- what role does President Clinton play? It's widely known that he supported Ehud Barak in the elections. Does his -- does that appear to be favoritism? Does it help or hurt in these negotiations? And what do you want him to do? What can he actually do?
BURG: I think that here are two levels. The first one is, if President Clinton will decide after his term here to run for a position in Israel, he's popularity is high enough to take the risk, and I will say that this kind of American support, embodied by the president, is essential for the Israeli individual feeling of security. I feel secure because America is behind this agreement. Now it's Clinton. I have no doubt that whomever will come after Clinton will continue with the peace policy of the Middle East, because peace in the Middle East is good for America; and if it's good for America, it's good for Israel. And therefore, this kind of internal relationship is crucial for peace. I mean, taking a risk without America is a no go.
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PRESS: One city, two capitals, two states -- does that work?
BURG:…. I would say that Barak is the first shot that we have in the Middle East, because see what happened in Lebanon. Despite all the disagreements, and the controversies, and Syrians failure to understand it, and all the physical pressure on our northern part of Israel, here is a determined individual who said I'm going to do it, and he delivered the goods, and I say the same about...
I mean, I say the same about the Palestinian -- Barak is the one to bring piece to the Middle East from the Israeli side. I hope Arafat is the one.
As for Jerusalem, I didn't come here to negotiate with Hanan Ashrawi, OK. I came here to build a liaison between the two of us to create a kind of covenant, us against the extremist of both sides, not to enable them to veto the peace process. I hope there at Camp David, they will be creative enough and pragmatical enough to leave rhetorics aside and to find solutions for us that we should both adopt.
