Palestinians Boost Image at Negotiations

Send this clipping to somebody

Transcribed from the clipping

Palestinians Boost Image at Negotiations • Many participants in the Shamir without being caught in the talks view the Palestinians' new trap (Israeli Prime Minister jected any role in the talks for the Palestine Liberation Organization, Yitzhak) Shamir put them to en- presentation as a successful gage them with the past instead of "We told our story.

No which it considers a terrorist public relations coup. facing the future. They were very people in this century were group. This weekend, PLO officials successful." A speech by Dr. Haidar Abdul- as misinformed about and were openly attending coordination MADRID, Spain (AP) - Pales- Shafi, a physician from the occupied discriminated against as talks with Arab delegations.

They tinian negotiators presented a rea- Gaza Strip, dropped demands for were deciding policy stands, listic and moderate case at the Mid- the Palestinians." approving delegation statements immediate statehood and said Pal- dle East peace conference that and forking up the money to keep estinians would agree to a tran- SAEB EREKAT negotiators in Madrid. gave their beleaguered people more sitional period of self-rule. status than ever before on the in- Palestinian delegate The Spanish hosts also granted He urged Israelis to agree to live ternational diplomatic stage. the Palestinians equal time for side-by-side with a Palestinian state The U.S. and Soviet co-sponsors The composition of the Palestin- news briefings at the press center, they hope to establish in the earlier in the week allotted full where over 5,000 journalists gath- ian delegation - and its conciliato- occupied West Bank and Gaza speaking time - 45 minutes - for ered.

Their representatives - Fai- ry statements at the conference - Strip.

Abdul-Shafi to make his pitch at the contributed to what many partici- conference, despite Israeli appeals sal Husseini and Hanan Ashrawi - Although a Palestinian state re- pants described as a public-relations coup have to tell you that I think the delegates that he should share the time with were excluded from the delegation mains a dream, because Israel protested their links apparently managed to establish Jordanian's chief delegate. to the PLO. their plight as the core of the Mid- that a lot of what the Palestinian Also, the Palestinian delegates* dle East conflict. representatives had to say at the increasingly public relationship with Secretary of State James A. the PLO did not prompt an Israeli Baker III on Friday personally Palestinian spokeswoman Hanan conference was well received in Ashrawi, in a final news briefing to many places around the world," walkout.

The Jewish state had re- thanked Husseini and Ashrawi for their contributions to the process. reporters, thanked the media Sun- U.S.

Secretary of State James A. day for "relaying our narrative to Baker III said at news conference the rest of the world and for allow- Sunday. ing us to speak out for ourselves, The Palestinian team included U.S.-educated university lecturers, actually, for the first time in our WINDOW SALE - PR political scientists, businessmen and history. former prisoners - in sharp con- Earlier, a member of the Pales- FREE tinian negotiating team made a sim- High STARTING AT: trast with the Palestinians' terror- ist image of the 1970s. ilar remark in an interview.

Performance CUSTOM SIZED Glass In Western dress, they sat oppo- "We told our story.

No people in this century were as misinformed FREE DOUBLE HUNG site the Israelis, although part of a joint delegation with the Jordanians, about and discriminated against as UP TO 72 UI INSTALLATIO the Palestinians, " said Saeb Erekat, ESTIMATES, EXTRA COST at Israel's insistence. a Palestinian delegate.

Just before the conference opened Wednesday, members of "After all these years of trying CALL Fomily Owned & C the Palestinian delegation were to undermine us, trying to discredit us, trying to make us look the un- TODAY granted a meeting with President wanted of the earth, we were able Features Syr Bush.

Tahseen Beshir, former Egyp- to face Shamir face-to-face and tell *SOLID WARM VINYL him, tian government spokesman and said. 'You have failed'," Erekat * COMPLETELY MAIN. FREE * TILT IN SASHES ENERG 7321 Thompson Rd.

(c political analyst, said the Palestin- But Israel also allowed the Pales- ians "have managed to give a tinians some latitude in an effort to keep the conference from collaps- OUTPERFORMS THEM ALL! N. Syracuse, N. 452-15 human face to the Arab position, refuting the Israeli extremism of ing.

Cite this item

"Palestinians Boost Image at Negotiations," Post Standard, 4 November 1991. Covering Palestine archive, CP-1991-014. https://coveringpalestine.org/archive/cp-1991-014