t Barak Got Agenda For Waal Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak's goals with Arab neighbors are huge. He proposes, in 15 months, to have under way meaningful processes to resolve more than 100 years of Arab-Israeli conflict. The crucial steps: • Sign a full peace treaty with the Palestinians, one that maintains the majority of Jewish res- idences on the West Bank, reaches an under- standing on Jerusalem as Israel's united capital and solves the ``right of return" issue for Palestinian refugees. • Negotiate a comprehensive peace treaty with Syria that includes a demilitarized border, understanding of water sharing and open trade. • Bring Israeli troops home from southern Lebanon, where they have been stationed since 1982 and are frequent targets of deadly attacks by Hezbollah and anti-Oslo Palestinians. Above, left to right: The first couples of the United States and Israel during a visit to Camp David July 15. From left, Hillary Clinton, Ehud Barak, Nava Barak and Bill Clinton. Barak meets with members of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations in New York on Sunday. From left, Malcolm Hoenlein, executive vice chairman; Ronald Lauder, chairman, and Barak. Barak gives the thumbs up while greeting members of the House International Relations committee on Capitol Hill Tuesday as he concluded a series of meetings with the Clinton administration and members of Confess. Jewish leaders were quick to note Barak's decision to meet with the Israel Policy Forum, a top pro-peace process group, before mixing with leaders of the Presidents Conference. IPF, created in 1993 to support the peace policies of then Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, two years ago merged with Project Nishma. That Washington-based group specializes in mobilizing Israeli military authorities that argue that the peace process is in Israel's security interests. The IPF has increasingly tried to I sraeli Prim e Minister Ehud Barak's six-day )) visit to the United States included numerous "getting to know you events, but there was some real substance, as Well. Here's a brief rundown: _ • Barak and President Clinton agreed on a "new partnership" aimed at producing a series of agreements in the next 15 months — b _ efore the president leaves office. The partnership will include regular meetings between the two leaders and intensified discussions between their security and diplomatic advisers. • Secretary of State Madeleine Albright will travel to the region in early August to reinforce support for revived talks. But the two leaders refused to divulge the details of their plan to revive negotiations. • Clinton announced a Memorandum of Understanding confirming his intention to boost U.S. military aid over 10 years, to a level of $2.4 billion. The MOU will also formalize the agreement between the two coun- tries to phase out Israel's economic aid over the same period. • The president also promised to start pressing Congress for the $1.2 billion promised to help Israel imple- ment October's Wye Agreement. Included in the package, which must be approved by Congress, is money to help pay for the redeployment of Israeli forces, assistance for helicopters, communications equipment and munitions and a boost for Israel's counter-terrorism efforts. • Secretary of State Albright will visit Damascus in early August to sound out Syrian President Hafez Assad's peace overtures. Israeli officials said talks could, resume "in a matter of weeks," but they did not indicate . exactly how that might happen. A new joint task force will explore options for new sources of water for the parched region, and how the • United States can help. Water resources are expected to be a major roadblock to the upcoming permanent status talks. The task force will report to Clinton and Barak by the end of the year • A third Arrow battery will be funded. Tit Arrow anti-missile program, developed by Israel with American financing, will be Israel's first line of defense against a new generation of Arab ballistic missiles. Also, the two countries will expand collabora.tive efforts to develop new advanced anti-ballistic missile technologies. • A Strategic Policy Planning Group will develop proposals for expanding Israel's deterrent capabilities. Another new Memorandum of Understanding will accelerate the joint effort to prevent the acquisition of weapons of mass destruction by terrorists. • The first Israeli astronaut will travel with the Space Shuttle in 2000, "taking our partnership to new heights, literally," Clinton said - Monday. The president announced a new working group linking NASA and the Israel Space Agency to promote scientific research, educational activities and peaceful uses of space. I 1 position itself as an alternative to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the influential pro-Israel lobby; Barak forces believe AIPAC has been cool in support for the peace process. But at a meeting with a handful of AIPAC leaders on Monday, Barak repeated his message of Jewish unity, making it clear that support for the peace process should take prece- dence over other. agendas. The new Israeli leader, in meetings with Jewish groups and on Capitol Hill, "is trying to preempt the opposi- tion," said Henry Seigman of the Council on Foreign Affairs. "He's say- ing, 'don't try to sandbag me as you sandbagged Rabin.'" At the same time, Barak sought to reassure Jewish hardliners by restat- ing his belief in a unified Jerusalem as Israel's capital and promising that Israel would not return to its 1967 borders. He also said that most West Bank settlements will not be removed in a final agreement with the Palestinians. While Barak tried to create good will with AIPAC, that won't necessari- ly change the dynamic on Capitol Hill overnight, where lawmakers have worked to stake out positions support- ive of Israel that some say complicate the peace process. The Netanyahu government, which had strained relations with the Clinton administration, often encouraged such initiatives. But with Barak now in power, the equa- tion has been altered and the defini- dE MISSION on page 24 Th 7/23 1999 Detroit Jewish News 23