THE Israeli Prime Minister, Mr Benjamin Netanyahu, last night expressed serious concern at perceptions in Europe that Israel is the main block to the momentum of the Middle East peace process.
Speaking to Irish journalists after meeting the Tanaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Spring, Mr Netanyahu insisted that such perceptions were false and that he had moved faster in 90 days than anyone could have expected. He reiterated his commitment to the full implementation of the Oslo Accord.
The United States yesterday urged Israel and the Palestinians to reach concrete results quickly in the talks that began last night to salvage the US mediated peace agreements undermined by recent violence.
The US Secretary of State, Mr Warren Christopher, dispatched to the region after last week's emergency PLO Israeli summit at the White House, said the situation between Israel and the PLO was still dangerous, although tensions had eased.
Mr Christopher said Mr Netanyahu assured him he would carry out signed agreements with the PLO.
Mr Spring welcomed the assurance, which, he said, he had also received from the Israeli Foreign Minister, Mr David Levy. The Tanaiste is here on an emergency mission from the European Heads of Government in Dublin on Saturday.
Concerned at the precariousness of the peace process, the EU has sent Mr Spring with a strong message to the Israelis that it wants an end to what even Israel's best friends in Europe see as its obstruction of progress. The Union is Israel's main trading partner and the main donor to the Palestinians.
The willingness of Israeli officials to see Mr Spring at such short notice is seen here as in part reflecting their shock at the vehemence of the Union's statement last week and the dawning realisation that Israel is losing friends.
Mr Levy welcomed EU involvement but said it could not be as a facilitator or referee of the process. Not even the US played that role, he said. The key to success was direct face to face talks with the Palestinians.
Mr Netanyahu said he very much welcomed the visit of Mr Spring.
Israel and the PLO agreed to hold intensive talks on how to implement a long delayed Israeli troop redeployment from the West Bank town of Hebron. Israeli and Palestinian negotiators said after a three hour session yesterday that a committee on the partial pullback from Hebron would get to work.
Mr Netanyahu agreed in an interview published yesterday that Mr Arafat was charming "but I wouldn't make too much of the personal thing between us."
Referring to an attempt by Time magazine, during the interview, to get him to say Mr Arafat was "a nice guy", Mr Netanyahu said: "You get him to say it about me and I'll say it about him."
Last night, Mr Spring also had a private dinner with Mr Christopher, before driving down to Gaza city for a midnight meeting with the Palestinian Authority President, Mr Yasser Arafat.
Following the meeting, Mr Arafat said he still hoped the EU would participate fully in the Erez peace talks.
Mr Spring said, however, that although the EU was determined its special envoy would have a "hands on approach" it was unlikely that he would be able to participate at the table.
Today Mr Spring is due to fly to Egypt for talks with the Egyptian President, Mr Hosni Mubarak, and the Foreign Minister, Mr Amr Moussa, before returning to Dublin tonight.
