Quiet Diplomacy

Palestinian women pass a checkpoint during a strike called by Yassir Arafat to protest lack of progress in peace talks.

Behind the scenes,
the United States
is trying to nudge the
Middle East peace talks.

JAMES D. BESSER

WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT

VII

ith elections in the offing
It was Mr. Ross, according to ington source close to the peace
and renewed conflict with sources here, who proposed a gener- process. "The Norwegians were
the always-unpredictable al Israeli-Palestinian agreement as a brought in specifically because Ne-
Saddam Hussein, the Mid- prelude to a meeting between Prime tanyahu didn't want to be seen as de-
dle East peace process has Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and pendent on the Americans. But it was
not been high on the agenda Palestine Liberation Organization Ross and Indyk who coordinated
for President Clinton and Sec- leader Yassir Arafat.
much of what ultimately happened."
retary of State Warren
Mr. Ross and Mr. Indyk also
In particular, private talks in Paris
Christopher in recent weeks. helped contain tensions over the re- in late August between Mr. Ross, Dr.
But at the working levels of cent announcement of expanded Is- Dore Gold — Mr. Netanyahu's chief
the State Department, Amer- raeli settlement activity and the foreign policy adviser — and a top
ican officials have been playing controversial demolition of a Pales- Egyptian official were pivotal in mov-
an active, though low-profile role in tinian building in Jerusalem.
ing the negotiations forward.
secret Israeli-Palestinian talks — ne-
But in Israel, the public focus was
Another factor in the frantic nego-
gotiations that were expected to re- on the role of Teije Larsen, the Nor- tiations of the past week was Mr. Ne-
sult in a framework agreement laying wegian diplomat who was a major fig- tanyahu's trip to this country,
out the next steps in the troubled ure in the secret talks that led to the scheduled for Sept. 10; according to
peace process.
first Oslo accord.
several sources, a meeting between
Special Mideast envoy Dennis Ross
'There was a concerted effort to Mr. Clinton and the prime minister
and U.S. Ambassador Martin Indyk keep the spotlight on Larsen, and not may hinge on progress in the Pales-
played a major role in the quiet talks. on the American role," said a Wash- tinian talks.

