European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 29, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tuesday october 29, 1991 the stars and stripes Page 9u.s. Exploits window of Opportunity by Frank  United press International Washington a for the first time since the end of world War ii when its military supremacy was unquestionable the United states stands As the major superpower in the world. That is Why Secretary of state James a. Baker Iii who believes a a window of Opportunity opened up after the persian Gulf War was Able to arrange a Middle East peace conference Between age old enemies. Simply put neither the arabs nor the israelis wanted to offend the United states by refusing to attend the talks or be blamed for a breakdown of the peace process. Both sides now need Washington for economic military and political support. Even the palestinians climbed aboard. Baker had warned them it was their last Chance because a the bus is not coming by  the Bush administration also risked the anger of israeli prime minister Yitzhak Shamire a government by holding up for 120 Days consideration of a proposed $10 billion loan guarantee to help finance the settling of soviet jews. The arabs Are concerned that some of the newcomers will end up in the occupied lands. Nevertheless it took Baker eight trips to the Region to close the Deal. And that was the easy part. Now comes the beginning of Tough bargaining in Madrid Spain to try to Settle the 43-year Arab israeli conflict. A the world is different today than it was five years ago or even a year ago a an israeli Diplomat said speaking on the condition of anonymity. A Iraq was Defeated by  forces. The soviet Union is no longer a sugar daddy to the arabs giving them weapons and always taking their  soviet foreign minister Boris Pankin acknowledged As much in Jerusalem recently when he declared that his country intends to play a More Neutral role in the Middle East. A the new approach now a he said a is certainly not to have any kind of prot gds and support their positions no matter what they say. The United states which is sponsoring the conference along with the soviet Union will stand by to help mediate the dispute. It will appoint a special Middle East envoy and if necessary Baker will be ready to get involved. For More than 40 years Israel has sought face to face negotiations with its Arab neighbors. Baker told the arabs that they must sit Down with the israelis if they want peace and a Chance to get Back any of the lands Israel captured during the 1967 six Day War. A Baker kept pushing a said one . Official who requested anonymity. A the  take no for an  a High ranking state department official added a Baker was ready to walk away from the negotiations if things became unreasonable. No country wanted him to throw in the Towel. No country wanted to be blamed for the breakdown of the peace  Baker knew he was close to a Deal during his last trip but he was afraid that something out of his control might go wrong. It All came together in Jerusalem on oct. 18, when Baker and Pankin disclosed that invitations had been sent to Israel the Arab states and the palestinians to attend a Madrid peace conference which would followed by direct negotiations designed to achieve real peace. A a we re entering the negotiations with the arabs to sign a peace treaty and to normalize ties Quot the israeli Diplomat said. A we Are speaking to palestinians about an interim arrangement lasting five years of self Rule in the West Bank and Gaza strip. A we do know that the syrians and others will bring up territorial subjects a he said. A a we la discuss these issues. But a fair formula seems to be peace for peace. Israeli children died in wars. Arab children died too. If peace is a Blessing it is a Mutual Blessing. Lets decide to quit the  Syria insists that All territories a the Golan Heights Gaza the West Bank and East Jerusalem a must be returned As part of peace agreement. The . Position is that it supports . Resolutions calling for a return of occupied territories in Exchange for a a real peace and formal agreement to israelis right to exist within recognized and secured Borders. The United states said that it is now up to the arabs and israelis to work out their differences and that it cannot and will not a a imposed a  participants Egypt Syria Israel Jordan saudi Arabi president Hosni Mubarak succeeded Anwar Sadat after he was assassinated in 1981 by Muslim fundamentalists for signing a peace treaty with Israel. Guided Egypt Back into its traditional position As political and military Anchor of the Arab world a role it had lost after the 1979 treaty with  Hafez Assad seized Power in a bloodless coup in 1970 Long Israel s most implacable enemy bom member of peasant minority Analite Muslim sect moved up through the ranks of ruling baath socialist party to become air Force commander. His declared ambition for two decades was to achieve Quot strategic parity Quot with Israel and regain the Golan Heights. Suffered a heart attack in november 1983, which triggered an abortive coup  minister Yitzhak Shamir former guerrilla and intelligence operative believes in the creation of Quot greater  balks at . Efforts to get Israel to Trade land for peace. Born Yitzhak Semi sky in Ruz Imir Poland joined betar a right Wing zionist movement. Became Leader of the under ground Stern gang blamed for the assassinations of Britain s Middle East minister lord Moyne and swedish . Mediator count Folke Bem Adotte who opposed making Jerusalem part of  Elias Herawi elected by parliament in 1989 has overseen with syrian support an Arab league brokered treaty that has ended Lebanon a civil War. Maronite Catholic. Relatively minor figure in the peace process Lebanon s involvement was at insistence of Syria the main Power broker in  Yasser Arafat has used both violence and diplomacy to push the palestinians plight to the forefront of world attention. Egyptian educated civil Engineer. In 1959, he co founded the Fatah guerrilla movement which became Plo s dominant faction. In 1988 he got the palestinians parliament in exile to recognize Israel he also renounced terrorism. Credibility plummeted because of his support for iraqi president Saddam Hussein in the persian Gulf  Hussein ascended Jordan s throne in 1953 As teen Ager has survived numerous assassination attempts. Crushed leftist inspired rebellion in the 1950s, Rode out the arabs 1967 defeat by Israel that Cost him the West Bank and crushed palestinian guerrillas in a 1970 duh War. Since 1989, Hussein has launched a liberalization drive that gave Jordan one of the Arab world s freest presses and most open  fahd pro Western Monarch has ruled since 1982 sixth son of King Abdel Aziz Ibn Saud the kingdom s founder. Believed to be world s second richest person Worth an estimated $18 billion in 1988. Key Muslim Leader has title of custodian of the two holy shrines a Mecca and medinas. Abandoned saudi Arabia s normally cautious foreign policy by inviting . And other foreign forces to Delend his kingdom Atter Iraq s invasion of Kuwait. A palestinians entering conference As weak players by a Jianni United press International Cairo Egypt a just like one time Radical Syria the palestinians Are going to the Middle East peace conference in Madrid Spain As a weak and secondary party pushed into a Corner after the persian Gulf War and without the backing of iraqis once formidable military clout. The defeat of Iraq and president Saddam Hussein along with the collapse of soviet Power has left the palestinians hanging on a thread. It has slashed the International influence of the Palestine liberation organization and left it scrambling for support. _ Syria is in a similar position. Despite the weakening of the military Arsenal of its longtime Arab rival Iraq there is no longer a soviet Union to Back the syrians. Neither the West nor its Oil Rich persian Gulf allies appear keen to bankroll president Hafez Assad s regional ambitions. Plo chairman Yasser Arafat a decision to swing behind Saddam in the War has denied the palestinian organization the political and economic backing it had almost taken for granted from the Arab world. Thus the palestinians May Well be forced to make major concessions in their four decade conflict with Israel. Radical palestinian factions see the agreement to join the Madrid peace talks through a joint delegation with Jordan As a major betrayal Ana surrender. Palestinian islamic fundamentalist groups such As Hamas extremist groups such As Abu Nidal a Fatah revolutionary Council and the Damascus based popular front for the liberation of Palestine have All condemned the conference As Selling out the cause. A fall the israeli conditions for attending the peace talks with the arabs have been met while the palestinian ones have been ignored because they Are seen As the weak party a said Ahmed Hassan a palestinian journalist based in Jordan. Despite the plots flexibility in its policy toward Israel Over the past three years the palestinians now seem More interested in peace with Israel than at any time in the past. This is because the plots credibility and influence have deteriorated sharply since the iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Reduced financial support from Arab states in be persian Gulf has meant that the Plo has been unable to pay its officials and guerrillas. A prominent West Bank activist Faisal Husseini has been leading a palestinian delegation in talks with Secretary of state James a. Baker Iii Over the past eight months. These talks led to the agreement on convening the peace talks wednesday in Madrid. For the Plo the talks represent a new phase in the Arab israeli conflict because Many prominent palestinians believe the forum will be a a political Battle a replacing the armed struggle which has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives Over the past 40 years. A we have lost everything for refusing to negotiate with Israel. Now it is nigh time for the palestinians to negotiate to see what they might gain from the new world order pioneered by the United states a said in a Zed Din Taha a 55-year-old palestinian resident of Amman