THE JEWISH NEWS
SEVENTY-FIVE CENTS
SERVING DETROIT'S JEWISH COMMUNITY
MAY 17, 1991 / 4 SIVAN 5751
Was Baker Initiative
Worth The Effort?
ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM
Assistant Editor
D
espite Secretary of
State James Baker's
failure this week to
convince either Jordan or
Syria to participate in a
peace conference, Arab and
Israeli spokesmen refused to
label the initiative a failure,
saying peace talks are still
possible —with stipulations.
"It ain't over 'til it's over,"
said Moshe Fox, a spokes-
man for the Israeli Counsel
General for the Midwest. He
said Israel remains eager to
meet with its Arab
neighbors, so long as
negotiations do not include
the Palestine Liberation
Organization, Palestinians
living in east Jerusalem, or
the United Nations.
"We still consider this a
serious initiative," added
Timoor Daghistani, a spokes-
man for the Jordanian em-
bassy. "There were some set-
backs, but there will always
be setbacks."
He said Jordan "welcomes
any negotiations," but only
if "all other parties are in-
volved." That means Pales-
tinian representatives
chosen by the Palestinians
as well as Syria, he said.
After Mr. Baker's initial
trip last month to the Middle
East, Syria's Foreign Min-
ister Farouk al-Sharaa
called the secretary's peace
plan a breakthrough and
Soviet Foreign Minister Alexander Bessmertnykh with James Baker.
said the Arab nations were
ready to be flexible.
But following a meeting
Monday with Mr. Baker,
Syrian President Hafez al-
Assad said his country
would not participate in
peace talks. Syria's stipula-
tions for attending any
negotiations include U.N.
participation and Israel's
withdrawal from all ad-
ministered territories.
The Syrians also have in-
sisted that a peace con-
ference be ongoing. Israel
said it will meet only once
for a conference, to be
followed by direct talks bet-
ween Israel and the Arab
nations.
Syria's decision not to join
negotiations is said to be the
reason King Hussein, after
meeting Tuesday with Mr.
Baker, appeared less than
eager to sit down at the
peace table.
Though it has so far failed
to bring peace talks, the
Baker initiative taught
Americans a valuable
lesson: not everyone will
return a favor, said Univer-
sity of Michigan political
science professor Zvi
Gitelman. Just because the
Bush administration jumped
in to save Kuwait during the
Gulf war does not mean the
Arab states will express
ROLEX•BMW
HI
Continued on Page 18
Dan Quayle Is Abused,
But Very Strong On Israel
KIMBERLY LIFTON
Staff Writer
V
ice President Dan
Quayle —whose
qualifications are con-
tinually scrutinized by the
American public —is gain-
ing a more favorable reputa-
tion among members of the
American Jewish commun-
ity as Israel's best friend in
the Bush administration.
With much recent atten-
tion focused upon Mr.
Quayle because of President
George Bush's health prob-
lems, pro-Israel lobbyists on
Capitol Hill and Jewish
Republican leaders in
Detroit are slowly getting
out the new word on Israel
and the vice president: he
was good in the U.S. Senate;
he is better as Mr. Bush's
No. 2 man.
"He has been extremely
positive and pro-Israel his
entire political career," said
Mark Talisman, director for
the Washington Action Of-
fice of the Council of Jewish
Federations.
Despite a New York
Times/CBX
Poll which
showed that 62 percent of
those surveyed worried
about Mr. Quayle's ability to
lead the nation if he were to
become president, some Jew-
ish leaders are saying the
community should stop join-
ing in on the rhetoric and
learn more about its friend
in the administration.
"Obviously, he gets a very
bad rap," said Jim Alex-
ander, Oakland County
Republican chairman. "No.
1, he is a very strong sup-
porter of Israel and he wears
it on his sleeve. There is no
question about the strength
of his sincerity toward
Israel. His is a voice on for-
eign policy and national
Continued on Page 18
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