NATION/WORLD The Michiga
'THE SUMMIT OF THE PEACEMAKERS'
n Daily - Thursday, March 14, 1996 - 5A
Arabs,
Israelis join
to support
peace
SHARM EL-SHEIK, Egypt (AP) -
Shoulder-to-shoulderin a historic show
of solidarity, Arabs joined Israelis at a
summit of world leaders yesterday to
vow unequivocal support forthe bomb-
gped Middle East peace process and
n unrelenting war against terrorists.
"From all around the world, we
have come to the Sinai to deliver one
simple, unified message: peace will
prevail," President Clinton said as
kings, presidents, prime ministers and
princes - 28 in all - gathered for
what was billed as "the summit of the
peacemakers."
Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres,
hose nation was thrown into turmoil
by four attacks that killed 62 people
over nine days, was visibly moved by
the outcome. He spoke of watching
"with an unbelieving eye" as former
Arab enemies pledged to end the scourge
of terrorism.
"They are the most impressive lead-
ers of our time," Peres said.
"It's a big deal," Clinton said of the
summit.
*Afterward, "ec
Mlinton and Peres
flew together on
Air Force One to Pre
I s r a e l w h e r e C l i n o mi
Clinton met with -P
Clinton heads
summit; election
looms at home
Los Angeles Times
SHARM EL SHEIK, Egypt - As
the master of the dramatic ceremonies
here yesterday, President Clinton was
addressing three disparate audiences
- the anxious Is-
raeli public, the
restive Palestin-
ian population News
and the wider
Arab world.
But his appear-
ance and remarks
here were also
Analysis
King Hussein of Jordan, Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres, U.S. President Clinton, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak
Russian President Boris Yeltsin, King Hassan of Morocco and French President Jacques Chirac, from left to right, durir
family photo opportunity yesterday.
and Secretary of State Warren Christo-
pher. When Clinton returns to Wash-
ington today, they will remain behind
to work out an anti-terrorism and intel-
ligence agreement between the United
States and Israel.
In apolitical sense, Clinton's advisers
hope his trip will enhance his election-
year image as a
m
0 Will
world peace-
maker. The sum-
mit outcome
also could give a
resident Clinton boost to Peres,
President Ezer
Weizman. Reflecting
Clinton said, "I feel mu
our prospects for pres
front against terror an
On Thursday, Clint
grave of Prime Ministe
slain by a Jewish milita
his peace efforts. The pr
delivera speech of symp
for Israel as it grieves th
women and children in
Clinton was accomp
and Israel by CIA Direc
struggling to
on the summit, hold power in May 29 elections.
uch better about The hurriedly arranged meeting in
enting a united this Red Sea scuba-diving resort was
d for security." aimed at wresting the momentum from
on will visit the the suicide bombers of Hamas whose
r Yitzhak Rabin, attacks stunned Israel and left the peace
nt who opposed process in tatters.
resident also will "This terrorism is not anonymous,"
athy and support Peres said. "It has a name, it has an
e deaths of men, address, it has bank accounts. ... It is'
the bombings. spearheadedby a country -Iran. Tehran
panied to Egypt has become the capital of terror."
tor John Deutch Yet, the summit's final communique
did not single out any country by name.
Instead, it pledged to crack down on
terrorists by cutting them off from fi-
nancing, arms, recruitment and safe
havens. Only Peres and British Prime
Minister John Major, accused Iran in
their speeches.
Notable by his absence was Presi-
dent Hafez Assad of Syria, a nation
accused by Washington of supporting
terrorism yet a key player in the slump-
ing Middle East peace process. Clinton
said he wished the Syrians had attended
but added: "I wouldn't overread their
absence here. It's part of a general pat-
tern of going their own way."
The leaders pledged to reinforce the
peace process with political and finan-
cial assistance and with special atten-
tion to the "current and pressing eco-
nomic needs of the Palestinians."
They also pledged to convene a work-
ing group to chart "maximum efforts"
against terrorists. Delegates are to meet
in Washington within two weeks to
draw up recommendations that each
country can take through legislative
and executive actions.
aimed at a fourth critical constituency
-the American electorate, which will
AP PHOTO be called upon in November to render
k, the a vote of confidence on his gover-
nance.
No member of the president's large
entourage here would dare breathe a
word about the possible political ben-
efit of Clinton's latest foray abroad as
global peace broker.
But one man's presence here was
ample testament to the domestic politi-
cal element of this trip - Hollywood
producer Mort Engelberg, who is film-
ing Clinton for use in political advertis-
ing later in the year.
Among the priceless images
Engelberg will return with are Egyptian
President Hosni Mubarak praising
Clinton yesterday as "a statesman of
vision and courage" and Clinton, head
bowed, praying at the grave of slain
Israeli leader Yitzhak Rabin today.
The portrayal of Clinton the States-
man is an acknowledged piece of the
president's re-election strategy.
Aides say the next few months will
be devoted to burnishing Clinton's cre-
dentials as the midwife of peace in
Haiti, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Northern
Ireland and, once again, the Middle
East.
As Kansas Sen. Bob Dole consoli
dates his position as the presumptive
Republican nominee, Clinton and his
aides are determinedly avoiding overt
political rhetoric and activities-in the
United States.
But he is aggressively availing him
self of opportunities to capture the
spotlight as the moral and ceremonial
leaderofthe nation and its allies around
the world.
Asked directly whether Clinton was
milking the "Summit of the Peacemak-
ers" for domestic political dividends, a
senior White House aide merely smiled
and said, "He's just doing his job.".
This sort of summitry is as much
political theater as substance, and
Clinton excels at the language and im-
agery of compassion. Broadening his
audience from Israel and the Palestin-
ians to the wider group of Arab nations
represented at Sharm el Sheik, Clinton
said, "Many of the nations here today
have experienced the nightmare of ter-
ror. Death does not discriminate among
the terrorists' victims."
Today's schedule combines a dis-
play of public mourning for Rabin
and victims of the recent wave of
terrorist bombings in Israel with sev-
eral events designed to show support
for Prime Minister Shimon Peres, who
has tried to keep the peace process
alive while battling terror with al)
available weapons.
womnoa aa
AP PHOTO
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and
President Clinton speak at a joint press
conference yesterday at the convening
of the Mideast Peace Summit, aimed
at easing tensions in the region
following four bombiugs in nine days.
The University of Michigan
Adult Lifestyle
Program/
AGM strike causes
operations to falter
DETROIT (AP) - Nine days into a
strike involving a few dozen jobs at two
General Motors plants, operations at
+he world's largest automaker are grind-
ing to a halt, idling tens of thousands of
workers across North America.
Close to 90,000 GM workers were
off the job yesterday.
In addition, some of the more than
1,600 companies that make parts for
GM cars have begun laying off their
workers: ITT Automotive, which makes
brakes, wiper systems and other com-
ponents for GM and other automakers,
said 370 employees at its plant in New
SLexington, Ohio, have been told not to
report to work on Monday. A decision
is pending on layoffs at another ITT
plant in Rochester, N.Y.
Johnson Controls has laid off work-
ers at four plants. AlliedSignal Auto-
motive planned 300 layoffs at a Michi-
gan seat-belt plant.
Business also is likely to decline at
the companies that provide the raw
.materials and components for parts and
at thousands of GM dealerships where
customers won't be able to get specific
models or options because no new ve-
hicles are coming into the inventory.
"More than a percent-and-a-half of
the gross domestic product is going off
line," said David Cole, director of the
University's Office for the Study of
Automotive Transportation.
GM spokesperson Jim Hagedon said
no significant progress was made yes-
terday and no new talks were scheduled
toward resolvingthe 2,700-person walk-
out at the two brake plants in Dayton,
Ohio.
Whether the strike is a simple dis-
pute over the future of jobs at the
brake plants or the first engagement
in this year's national contract bar-
gaining between the United Auto
Workers union and the Big Three
atomakers, it brings home a simple
truth: The auto industry is a major
engine of the nation's economy, and
when it's running rough, everyone is
likely to feel the vibrations.
By yesterday, 22 of GM's 29 North
American assembly plants had stopped
building cars and trucks because they
or companies. The union fears the prac-
tice could wipe out some GM jobs. The
automaker says it sometimes must buy
cheaper parts by outside sources in or-
der to be competitive.
Instead ofsettling the Dayton dispute
by agreeing to preserve a number of
local jobs as it did in earlier strikes at
other plants, GM apparently has de-
cided to use the strike to deal with the
issue of outsourcing - sure to be a
major focus of national contract nego-
tiations with the UAW, Cole said. The
UAW's national GM contract expires
Sept. 15.
GM has been under continuing pres-
sure from the financial community to
reduce its costs- for components. Hav-
ing UAW workers build the parts at its
own plants can cost substantially more
than buying them from outside suppli-
ers that pay wages and benefits far
below the $40-$45 hourly union sala-
ries.
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