[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 30 (Thursday, March 7, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1658-S1659]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         REPORT OF SENATE DELEGATION'S TRIP TO THE MIDDLE EAST

 Mr. PELL. Mr. President, in February, I led a congressional 
delegation on a trip to Jordan, Syria, Israel, and Cyprus. I was 
pleased to be joined on this trip by the distinguished Senators from 
Virginia and Oklahoma--Senators Robb and Inhofe.
  On our trip, Senator Inhofe, Senator Robb, and I focused primarily on 
the Middle East peace process, including prospects for a peace treaty 
between Israel and Syria, as well as the implementation of Israel's 
peace agreements with Jordan and the Palestinians. During our stop in 
Cyprus, we examined the conflict between the Greek and Turkish Cypriots 
and the likelihood of a peaceful, negotiated settlement.
  Since our return, the Middle East--and specifically Israel--has been 
wracked by an unimaginable wave of violence and terror. The murder of 
scores of innocent Israelis, as well as Palestinians, Americans, and 
other civilians, has cast an unmistakable pall over the peace process. 
To be frank, I am not sure that any supporter of the peace process, be 
they in Israel, the Palestinian autonomous zone, or the United States, 
has a clear idea of what the future holds.
  My own hope is that the process can survive this unspeakable assault. 
Our recent trip reaffirmed for me the clear fact that the terrorists 
are the enemies of peace. If the terrorists succeed in destroying the 
peace process, then they will be rewarded for their depravity. I do not 
think such an outcome would be right or fair.
  Mr. President, the Senate already has responded to some of the 
terrorist bombings in Israel. Scarcely a week ago, the Senate passed a 
resolution to condemn the perpetrators, to commiserate with the 
victims, to express continued support for our ally, Israel. In a 
shocking indication of how frequent these incidents have become, 
however, the Senate will soon consider yet another resolution that 
condemns two more bombings that have occurred since the passage of the 
last resolution.
  Above and beyond these resolutions, I would expect that there may be 
some deep soul searching in both the Congress and the administration 
about the American role in coordinating the peace process. In this 
regard, I thought it might be useful to share with my colleagues the 
report that our Senate delegation made on its recent trip to the Middle 
East. As I said a moment ago, our trip preceded the recent wave

[[Page S1659]]

of terror, but I think that our observations, conclusions, and 
recommendations remain timely and important.
  Mr. President, I ask that our delegation's executive summary be 
printed in the Record.
  The summary follows:

                         Letter of Transmittal

                                                February 23, 1996.
     Hon. Jesse Helms,
     Chairman, Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Washington, 
         DC.
       Dear Mr. Chairman: From February 7-14, 1996, our Senate 
     delegation traveled to the Eastern Mediterranean, visiting 
     Jordan, Syria, Israel, and Cyprus. The delegation, led by 
     Senator Claiborne Pell, Democrat from Rhode Island and 
     Ranking Minority Member of the Senate Committee on Foreign 
     Relations, included Senator Charles S. Robb, Democrat from 
     Virginia and a Member of the Senate Committees on Foreign 
     Relations, Armed Services and Intelligence; and Senator James 
     Inhofe, Republican from Oklahoma and a Member of the Senate 
     Committees on Armed Services and Intelligence. We were 
     accompanied by Senate Foreign Relations Committee staff 
     members Edwin K. Hall (Minority Staff Director and Chief 
     Counsel), George A. Pickart (Minority Professional Staff 
     Member for the Near East and South Asia), and Peter M. 
     Cleveland (Minority Professional Staff Member for East Asia 
     and the Pacific) and by Jay C. Ghazal (Legislative Assistant 
     to Senator Pell for Defense Issues).
       The purpose of the trip was to focus on the Middle East 
     peace process, including prospects for a successful 
     conclusion to the bilateral negotiations between Israel and 
     Syria, and the status of the implementation of Israel's peace 
     agreements with Jordan and the Palestinians. We also examined 
     the potential for a peaceful and negotiated settlement to the 
     conflict on Cyprus.
       In Jordan the delegation met with His Majesty King Hussein 
     bin Talal, Her Majesty Queen Noor, and with newly-appointed 
     Foreign Minister Abdal Karim al-Kabariti; in Syria with 
     Foreign Minister Farouq al-Shara and Vice President Abdal 
     Halim Khaddam; in Israel with Prime Minister Shimon Peres and 
     with representatives of the Israel Defense Forces on the 
     Golan Heights; in Gaza with PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat and 
     newly elected Palestinian Council members Haider Abdel Shafi, 
     Ziyad Abu Amer, and Riyad Zanoun; and in Cyprus with 
     President Glafcos Clerides, House President Alexis Galanos, 
     and Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash. In addition, 
     Senators Robb and Inhofe, both members of the Senate Select 
     Committee on Intelligence, met separately with U.S. 
     intelligence officials on matters pertaining to the region.
       Our visit to the region coincided with a period of intense 
     activity with regard to the peace process and other matters:
       On the day of our arrival in Israel, Prime Minister Shimon 
     Peres called for early elections in an effort to secure a 
     mandate for his peace negotiations with Syria;
       Syria and Israel, fresh from a scheduled break in their 
     negotiations at Wye Plantation in Maryland, had just hosted a 
     shuttle visit by U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher;
       The Palestinians had just concluded elections for a chief 
     executive--a vote won overwhelmingly by PLO Chairman Yasser 
     Arafat--and an 88 member council;
       On the day we traveled to Gaza, Israel had sealed its 
     borders with the Palestinian autonomous area for security 
     reasons, one of many closures since the onset of self-rule;
       Israel and Jordan continued to work out arrangements to 
     implement their recent peace treaty, at the same time that 
     King Hussein exhibited a more aggressive posture towards 
     Iraq;
       As Ankara grappled with forming a new government and as 
     Athens installed new leadership, tensions flared between 
     Turkey and Greece over an uninhabited Dodecanese islet, and a 
     visit by a high-level U.S. envoy to mediate over Cyprus was 
     cancelled.
       We would like to commend the dedicated U.S. Foreign Service 
     personnel at the American Embassies in Jordan, Syria, Israel 
     and Cyprus, and at the U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem, 
     for their assistance and support during our trip. In 
     particular, we would like to express our deep appreciation to 
     Ambassador Wesley W. Egan, Jr. and Deputy Political Counselor 
     Margot Sullivan in Amman; Ambassador Christopher W.S. Ross 
     and Political Officer Laurence Silverman in Damascus; 
     Ambassador Martin S. Indyk and Political Officer John Hall in 
     Tel Aviv; Consul General Edward G. Abington, Jr. and 
     Political Officer Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley in Jerusalem; 
     and Ambassador Richard A. Boucher and Political Officer John 
     Lister in Nicosia, for their special efforts to make our trip 
     a success.
       We would also like to thank our military escort, Commander 
     Sean Fogarty (USN), as well as Commander Joe Malone (USN), 
     and YN1 Dwight Brisbane (USN) for their exceptional work in 
     support of the delegation.
       This report attempts to present a snapshot of the 
     circumstances at the time of our visit. Our visit, it should 
     be noted, preceded the recent wave of terrorist bombings in 
     Israel, so the report does not address the bombings or their 
     potential impact--which undoubtedly will be quite significant 
     on the region and the prospects for peace. The views 
     expressed are our own, and do not necessarily reflect those 
     of the Senate Committees on Foreign Relations and Armed 
     Services, or the individual members thereof.
           Sincerely,
     Claiborne Pell.
     Charles S. Robb.
     James M. Inhofe.
                                                                    ____


                           Executive Summary


                    Israel-Syria Peace Negotiations

       Peace talks between Israel and Syria resumed late last year 
     and showed signs of progress. Syrian and Israeli officials 
     report that serious discussions have taken place under U.S. 
     auspices at Wye Plantation in Maryland, and that the new 
     informal setting helped to produce greater flexibility from 
     both sides.
       The parties may become distracted by early elections in 
     Israel and the presidential campaign in the United States, 
     which in turn may prevent them from reaching quick agreement 
     on a peace treaty. But officials from Israel and Syria say 
     substantive negotiations will continue for the foreseeable 
     future and assert that an agreement remains possible.
       Notwithstanding the improvements in atmosphere, Syria and 
     Israel still have a tough road ahead in the negotiations:
       The relationship between the two countries is plagued by 
     instinctual mistrust;
       Difficult decisions remain to be made on security 
     arrangements on the Golan Heights (including the extent of 
     Israel s withdrawal, the dimensions of demilitarized zones, 
     and the possible presence of an international monitoring 
     force including U.S. troops) and on the fabric of the future 
     Israeli-Syrian relationship.
       Syrians accept the inevitability of peace with Israel, but 
     appear uncertain of the terms, ill-prepared for a normal 
     relationship and reluctant to accept the concept of a warm 
     peace.


                  Israeli-Palestinian Peace Agreements

       Assuming the recent terrorist bombings in Israel do not 
     cause the peace process to unravel completely, the ``Oslo 
     II'' agreement between Israel and the Palestinians will set 
     the stage for the emergence of a permanent Palestinian 
     entity--which Palestinians see as their own state with East 
     Jerusalem as its capital, and which Israelis see as something 
     far short of that.
       Palestinian officials, including PLO Chairman Yasser 
     Arafat, bristle at what they perceive to be ``unequal'' U.S. 
     treatment of Israel and the Palestinians, but acknowledge the 
     importance of their own commitments on security and wish to 
     be seen as working hard to prevent acts of violence and 
     terror against Israelis.
       The Palestine National Council will have to decide whether 
     and how to amend the PLO Covenant, which still refers to the 
     destruction of Israel. Arafat clearly recognizes the need to 
     address the issue, but is not yet fully committed to changes 
     that will be as forthcoming and precise as Israel and others 
     would expect.
       The Palestinians must develop and refine the institutional 
     basis for their experiment with self-rule. Recent elections 
     succeeded in creating an 88 member council, but council 
     members have yet to meet and seem to lack confidence about 
     their role in Palestinian society and their relationship with 
     Arafat--their powerful chief executive.


                       Israel-Jordan Peace Treaty

       Jordan and Israel are implementing their October 1994 peace 
     treaty with vigor and in good faith. As King Hussein stated, 
     ``The peace process is over. It's peace building now.''
       In recent months, King Hussein has taken a new and 
     aggressive posture towards Iraq, granting asylum to two 
     highly-placed Iraqi defectors (who willingly returned to Iraq 
     after our visit and were subsequently murdered), calling for 
     greater coordination among Iraq's fractured opposition, and 
     talking about a federated Iraq. The King's statements and 
     actions present a challenge to Saddam Hussein and have 
     sparked the interest--not all positive--of other regional 
     powers such as Syria.


                            Cyprus Conflict

       The situation in Cyprus, which is closely connected to the 
     relationship between Greece and Turkey, remains jittery and 
     uncertain. The recent escalation of tensions between Ankara 
     and Athens over a small Dodecanese island underscores the 
     acute need to resolve differences between the Greek and 
     Turkish Cypriot leaders.
       While some in the Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities 
     appear willing to seek reconciliation, and even with the 
     broad outlines of a solution apparent for some time, a recent 
     attempt by the U.S. Administration to initiate a high-level 
     mission on Cyprus failed to take hold.
       The United States stands ready to devote considerable 
     resources and energy to the problem, but the parties offer 
     few prescriptions for improving the current hostile climate. 
     The tendency of the Turkish Cypriot leadership to rehash old 
     grievances when discussing current problems suggests that the 
     impasse may remain for some time.

                          ____________________