PRIME MINISTER
TRANSCRIPT OF PRESS CONFERENCE, KING DAVID HOTEL. JERUSALEM,
29 JANUARY 1987 E 0 E PROOF ONLY
JOURNALIST: WagJt did Mr Peres have to say-whfl You repeated. I
what you had to say earlier in the day about the PLO and
Israel reocg s~ ingech th
PM: I think the fullness of the discussions I had with Mr Peres
on that subject are appropriately left to us at this point. Suffice
to say that he completely understood the sense in which I put those
propositions. JOURNALIST: Did he raise with you the possibility of when you
are next dealing with the United States that you could make approaches
concerning them getting involved in the peace processes again?
PM: We talked about the involvement Of the United States in-the
peace process. You shud' htthe United States is not involved
JOURNALIST: What do you mean
PM: It wasn't meant to be an esoteric comment. The United States
is aware of the processes that have been going on. I think the
correct thing to say is that the United States doesn't have the
high profile in those processes as historically you have come to
associate with them.
JOURNALIST: Was there a marked difference in the style of your
talks with Mr Peres and the way he approached this issue and the
approach of Mr Shamir?
PM: They were later in the evening and I guess it is obvious that
because I have known Mr Peres now the friendship goes back to
1971 to my first visit to Israel. And we are of the same political
persuasion so there is a greater camraderie between Mr Peres and
myself. JOURNALIST: Mr Hawke, you said the discussions could you explain
that? PM: No, I can't.
JOURNALIST: Mr Hawke, did you ask Mr Peres about Israel's alleged
arms sales to South Africa
PM: Yes, we had a discussion about that and Mr Peres gave me a
fairly lengthy exposition. Again all the details of which I am
not at this stage in a position to talk about because I want to
discuss that matter with my colleagues on my return. But let me
say this that Mr Peres assured me that Israel would associate itself
with any international decisions taken on the question of South
AFrica. And that Israel totally abhorred and repudiated apartheid.
2.
PM cont: As to some of the detail of that area of discussion I
will want to talk with my colleagues about that before I say anything
more. JOURNALIST: Did you leave your talks with Mr Peres more confident
that Israel and the PLO may sometime, in the near future down
to some sort of recognition?
PM: I think the correct way to put it is this, Greg. Mr Peres
in no sense disputed the analysis that I made. Indeed, it accorded
essential I y i-ththe-things--thathe-has-been-saingb4ims lf.-But
there must be uncertainties as to what the PLO will say about the
essential elements of the position, that is the acceptance of 242.
and--338-the--right of, srael-to--existT--And-wtthn-th-at-fr e-amewDrkof
course the non-use of terror. There must be some question as
what the processes of decision-making are within the PLO to reach
that point and how long it will take. Now there may be letArephrase
that there would be differences of opinion amongst any number
of people that you want to ask on that issue as to how long it
might take. But as to the essentiality of that process and agreement
as to the reciprocal, that is that in those circumstances an
obligation on the part of Israel to recognise the right of the
PLO to be involved in the processes.
JOURNALIST: Mr Hawke, did you enquire where the case against
Mordechai Vanunu was up to?
PM: I merely informed Mr Peres of--the discussioh-that l-have had
with the Foreign Minister on that. There was, as I indicated in
an earlier conference, I was satisfied with answer the Prime Minister
had given, that is and let me repeat it. Firstly, that Mr Vanunu
was receiving normal treatment. And secondly, that indeed he was
given special treatment of being allowed to be visited by his American
woman friend which was against the norma procedures. And I informed
Mr Peres that that is what the Prime MInister had told. It is
not a question of confirming it, but yes that is what is happening.
And so there was not point in any further discussion.
JOURNALIST: Mr Hawke, what did Mr Peres say about Soviet
participation in the international conference?
PM: Mr Peres confirmed that his adherence to the commitment that
he gave in the discussions with Mr Mubarak that is that there was
a place for an international conference and that as far as the
Soviet Union was concerned that he had nominated the two conditions
that is the recognition by the Soviet Union of Israel in terms
of the resumption of diplomatic relations. And the second thing
the change in the treatment by the Soviet. Union of Soviet Jewry.
Let me, as you raised the question of the international conference,
make it clear that it is the endorsement of the concept of an
international conference Mr Peres reaffirmed his view on the nature
of that international conference, that is that it oould not impose
the resolution of the issues on the parties directly involved.
And necessary definition from that. In fact, it would be a
matter for direct negotiation between the parties under the framework
of such a conference. Indeed, you will appreciate from what I
have said following my discussions with King Hussein and the Prime
MInister of Jordan that the position as to the nature of the
conference is the D t i{ L -Ai44? A
w.
9
9 3.
JOURNAL[ ST: Would you say that Mr Peres was satisfied with
the impressions you brought with you from your talks with King
Hussein and the Prime Minister in Amman?
PM: Yes indeed. I think it confirmed the judgement that Shimon
had himself made but it was, I think, reassuring to have so recently
and so explicitly a statement about his positions.
JOURNALIST: Mr Hawke, do you have any more information about the
Sharon visit?
-No. I don-t--oth-er-than -that; and--am-assum-i ng-that' -y-ou-ftav-e
heard this, that I understand that the actual dates that Mr Sharon
unilaterally announced seem not to be capable of being fitted-into
Mr Dawkins' agenda.
JOURNALIST: He is going though, isn't he?
PM: I assumie that once our Minister has said that the dates that
Mr Sharon announced were not suitable to him Mr Dawkins there
will be further discussions between them and that is where the
matter rests as I understand it.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, now that you are about to leave Israel
have you achieved what you hoped to achieve? What is the overview?
PM: Yes, I have achieved what I wanted to do and that was to be
as well informed as I possibly could of the attitudes and positions
parties principle. I have been to Jordan and I couldn't have beev%
given a more fullsome, detailed, frank exposition of their position.
I believe that has now been reciprocated, if I can use that word,
here in Israel now that I have had the opportunity of having very
long talks with the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister.
I have, I think, as clear an understandimq now anyone from the
world outside the parties directly involved what these positions
are. And having said that, I repeat what I said at the outset
that I didn't come to offer myself as a mediator. I think that
as a result of what I have learned I am extremely well equipped
to go into the discussions with President Mubarak. By that I mean
that because of what I have been told by Jordan and Israel I will
be very well equipped to understand and ask the appropriate
questions of President Mubarak so that I will be totally understanding
of the position of Egypt. I simply repeat that at the endp of
of those processes which may I say also included a very valuable
opportunity of listening to representatives of the
Palestinian people in Jerusalem. At the end of all that there
is a view that there may be some things that we could do to help
the processes of peace. And reaffirm the strength, as I said at
the beginning, that we would be prepared to do that.
ends