[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 93 (Friday, June 21, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6666-S6667]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SENATE RESOLUTION 268--RELATIVE TO THE SUMMIT OF ARAB HEADS OF STATE 
                          BEING HELD IN CAIRO

  Mr. LAUTENBERG (for himself, Mr. Brown, and Mr. Lieberman) submitted 
the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 268

       Whereas, Benjamin Netanyahu was elected to the position of 
     Prime Minister of Israel on May 29, 1996;
       Whereas, Prime Minister-elect Netanyahu presented his 
     cabinet for approval to the Israeli Knesset on June 18, 1996;
       Whereas, the guidelines of the new Government of Israel 
     specifically state: ``The Government of Israel will work to 
     broaden the circle of peace with all of its neighbors.'';
       Whereas, Egyptian President Mubarak has invited heads of 
     state in Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Jordan, Kuwait, 
     Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi 
     Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, the United Arab 
     Emirates, Yemen, and the Palestine Liberation Organization to 
     attend an Arab summit in Cairo beginning on June 21, 1996; 
     and
       Whereas President Clinton has stated his hope that Arab 
     leaders who attend this summit will ``give Mr. Netanyahu an 
     opportunity to constitute his government and set a policy and 
     not presume that we can't pursue peace.''; Now, therefore, be 
     it
       Resolved, That the Senate urges the governments attending 
     the June 21, 1996, summit in Cairo and other governments in 
     the Middle East to--
       (1) reaffirm their commitment to a comprehensive peace in 
     the Middle East;
       (2) express their willingness to work with the 
     democratically elected Government of Israel in the pursuit of 
     a meaningful peace; and
       (3) refrain from statements directed against the new 
     Israeli government that might create an atmosphere in the 
     region unfavorable to a continuation of the peace process.

  Mr. LAUTENBERG. Mr. President, it had been my expectation that the 
Senate would have already taken up and passed a resolution to express 
the sense of the Senate about the summit of Arab heads of state, which 
began in Cairo today. It is cosponsored by Senators Lieberman and 
Brown.
  The resolution is straightforward. It urges heads of state and 
representatives of Arab countries attending the Cairo summit and those 
which may not attend the summit to reaffirm their commitment to a 
comprehensive peace in the Middle East. It urges them to express their 
willingness to work with the democratically elected Government of 
Israel in the pursuit of a meaningful peace. Finally, it urges them to 
refrain from statements directed against the new Israeli Government 
that might create an atmosphere in the region unfavorable to a 
continuation of the peace process.
  The resolution had been cleared by the Senate Foreign Relations 
Committee, all Democratic Senators, the Democratic leadership, and 
Members on both sides of the aisle. It was poised for approval by full 
Senate. However, at the last minute, the junior Senator from Texas, 
Senator Hutchison, objected to the Senate taking up the resolution 
because of an entirely unrelated matter. As a result, Mr. President, 
this resolution on the Middle East was blocked. And that is very 
unfortunate because many of the nations meeting in Cairo are countries 
intent on destroying Israel. Many are avowed enemies of Israel. Apart 
from Senator Hutchison's objection--which, again, is over an unrelated 
issue--there appears to be virtually unanimous support in the Senate 
for my resolution, and the message it sends.
  Mr. President, on May 29, 1996, Benjamin Netanyahu was elected the 
new Prime Minister of Israel. Shortly after his election, and before he 
established his new government, the Government of Egypt decided to 
convene a meeting of most members of the Arab League.
  At the invitation of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, heads of state 
from 19 Arab countries were invited to meet in Cairo. Representatives 
from Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, 
Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, 
Syria, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen, and the Palestinian 
Liberation Organization were invited to attend the summit.
  While I have no objection to meetings by members of the Arab League, 
heads of state and government representatives attending the meeting in 
Cairo have nothing to be gained by limiting options for peace 
discussions with the newly elected Government of Israel before its 
policies have even been officially formulated. They have nothing to 
gain by issuing provocative statements and attempting to back the 
democratically elected Government into a corner. Restraint--not harsh 
rhetoric directed against the new Israeli Government that might create 
an atmosphere in the region unfavorable to a continuation of the peace 
process--should prevail.
  President Clinton has stated his hope that Arab leaders who attend 
this summit will give Mr. Netanyahu an opportunity to constitute his 
government and set a policy and not presume that we can't pursue peace. 
That is sage advice.
  While the Arab countries may be experiencing some anxiety in light of 
the change of the Israeli Government, it would be a mistake to let 
extremist countries like the Sudan, Libya, and Syria dominate the 
agenda of this meeting. It would be a mistake to close doors, shut off 
options, and establish preconditions for the continued pursuit of 
peace.
  Mr. President, the world will be watching this meeting very carefully 
in the hope that the Arab countries will remain partners with Israel in 
the pursuit of a comprehensive peace in the Middle East. The road to a 
comprehensive peace is never easy, and all must conduct themselves with 
care and diplomacy to avoid potential misunderstandings.
  Mr. President, the United States is not prejudging the new Israeli 
Government. The Arab leaders meeting in Cairo should not either.
  I ask unanimous consent that the text of an outstanding editorial 
called ``The Arabs and Mr. Netanyahu'' which appeared in the New York 
Times last week be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the editorial was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                      The Arabs and Mr. Netanyahu

       Nineteen Arab leaders plan to meet in Cairo next week for a 
     show of unity in the wake of Benjamin Netanyahu's selection 
     as Prime Minister of Israel. The gather is a reminder that 
     the prospects for peace in the Middle East depend as much on 
     the conduct of Arab leaders as that of Mr. Netanyahu in the 
     weeks ahead.
       In responding to the new Israeli government, Arab leaders 
     should avoid inflammatory words and actions as Mr. Netanyahu 
     refines his course. No Arab interest would be served by 
     provoking Israel to abandon the peace effort.
       Most of the Arab leaders headed for Cairo are involved, at 
     one level or another, in the new diplomacy of engagement with 
     Israel initiated by the Bush Administration in the days 
     following the Persian Gulf war. Jordan and the Palestinians 
     have joined Egypt in signing formal peace agreements with 
     Israel. Several other North African and Persian Gulf states 
     have extended limited degrees of diplomatic recognition.
       No fewer than 15 Arab countries plus the Palestinians 
     regularly meet with Israeli representatives to discuss vital 
     regional issues like water and economic development. Saudi 
     Arabia, while it has regrettably shied away from recognition, 
     has invested its considerable diplomatic and economic weight 
     behind these regional peace efforts.
       The emerging Arab peace camp, so visible at Yitzhak Rabin's 
     funeral and the antiterrorism summit meeting at Sharm el-
     Sheik, should not step forward once again to counsel 
     restraint. More belligerent voice, like that of the Libyan 
     leader, Col. Muammar El-Qaddafi, and the militantly Islamic 
     Sudanese regime, will also be present in Cairo. Groups like 
     Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Gaza and 
     the West Bank may try to use terrorism to force Israel to 
     break off the peace talks that these groups have always 
     rejected.
       Syria rests somewhere between the peace camp and the 
     enemies of peace. With Mr. Netanyahu withdrawing the Israeli 
     offer to return the Golan Heights and suggesting that he is 
     more interested in strengthening relations with Jordan and 
     Egypt than with Syria, the Syrian President, Hafez-al-Assad, 
     is determined to avoid isolation. He hopes the summit meeting 
     with stiffen King Hussein's resolve to resist any Israeli 
     offers of authority over areas of the West Bank or Muslim 
     religious sites in Jerusalem. He also wants Washington to 
     continue serving as an intermediary between Israel and Syria.

[[Page S6667]]

       Egypt would like to reassert its traditional leadership in 
     Arab affairs by bringing together those countries that have 
     already made peace with Israel and those that have not.
       The Palestinian leadership, for its part, has little choice 
     but to proceed down the diplomatic road on which it has 
     embarked. While Mr. Netanyaghu has said he doubts the 
     finality of Mr. Arafat's break with terrorism, the Israeli 
     leader has no interest in pushing Palestinians into the arms 
     of Mr. Arafat's chief rivals, Hamas and Islamic Holy War.
       Despite Mr. Netanyahu's promise to expand West Bank 
     settlements, and his opposition to Palestinian statehood, 
     there remains much for Israel and the Palestinians to 
     discuss, including economic and water issues, security and a 
     timetable for Israel's partial withdrawal from Hebron.
       With Mr. Netanyahu forming a government and Arab leaders 
     regrouping, careless threat or provocative statement from 
     either side could deepen the mutual distrust that already 
     exists. Mr. Netanyahu has spoken with care and diplomacy 
     since his election. The Arab leaders should do no less.

  Mr. BROWN addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Colorado.
  Mr. BROWN. Mr. President, today, Senator Lautenberg, the Senator from 
New Jersey, submits for himself, myself, and Senator Lieberman a 
resolution that deals with the Arab summit that has been called for on 
June 21. It calls together a number of Presidents and leaders of 
countries in the Middle East. Presumably, included in their discussions 
will be the peace process and its progress thus far.
  That meeting, taking place in Cairo, is an important meeting. The 
resolution that Senator Lautenberg and I and Senator Lieberman have 
offered today expresses concerns about that. I think President Clinton 
expressed many of our concerns, as well, when he stated his hope ``that 
the Arab leaders who attend the summit will give Mr. Netanyahu an 
opportunity to constitute his government and set policy and not presume 
that we cannot pursue peace.''
  I think that is terribly important. I had hoped this resolution would 
be considered today and adopted unanimously. Unfortunately, there have 
been some problems getting that unanimous-consent process today. I do 
not believe it relates to the substance of the resolution in any way.
  Our resolution suggests three things, and I believe all Members of 
the Senate join in this.
  One, that the governments in the Middle East should reaffirm their 
commitment to a comprehensive peace in the Middle East.
  Mr. President, that is vital. If economic and civil rights progress 
is to be made in the Middle East, peace has to be the lubricant that 
brings it to the forefront.
  Second, we believe that the Government should express their 
willingness to work with the democratically elected Government of 
Israel in the pursuit of meaningful peace.
  Mr. President, we acknowledge and understand that countries disagree 
over their policies. But the fact is that Israel has a democratically 
elected government. We believe they ought to be respected and given the 
opportunity to work with those other leaders for peace.
  Third, the resolution calls on Middle Eastern governments to refrain 
from statements directed at the new Israeli Government that might 
create an atmosphere in the region that is unfavorable to the 
continuation of the peace process.
  Mr. President, it is in everybody's interest to move ahead with peace 
and the peace process. We hope very much that not only the summit that 
takes place on the 21st, but the activities of all the governments will 
be to that end.

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