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UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - In a speech prepared for the U.N. Millennium Summit, Israeli Premier Ehud Barak for the first time on Wednesday recognized that Jerusalem is sacred to Palestinian Muslims. "We recognize that Jerusalem is also sacred to Muslims and Christians the world over, and cherished by our Palestinian neighbors," the speech read. "A true peace will reflect all these bonds. Jerusalem will remain united and open to all who love her," ran the text of his speech, made available by a member of the Israeli delegation In a related development Israel's former prime minister and Nobel laureate Shimon Peres accused Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat on Wednesday of having too lofty expectations in the quest for peace. "Arafat is trying to obtain the maximum, but he has already crossed the limits and set conditions that are impossible to meet," said Peres, a key architect of the Olso peace accords signed with the Palestinians seven years ago. Only a week before a key deadline for peace, prospects for a quick agreement appeared slim ahead of key meetings in New York later Wednesday grouping U.S. President Bill Clinton separately with Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak. The Israelis have repeatedly called for Arafat to show more flexibility, particularly over the key stumbling block of Jerusalem, which both claim as their capital. Peres, who is now regional cooperation minister, also poured cold water Wednesday on the idea of "divine sovereignty" over Jerusalem's holy sites or making the disputed city international. "I'm not sure that God wants to fill the role of part-time mayor of the holy sites," he said, speaking on public radio. Among the proposals floated for Jerusalem is that neither side hold sovereignty over the al-Aqsa mosque compound, the third holiest site in Islam, which is known to Jews as Temple Mount as it was built over the destroyed Jewish temple. Palestinian legislative council speaker and top negotiator with Israel, Ahmed Qorei, also raised the prospect Tuesday of the city becoming "international" along the lines of the 1947 U.N. resolution partitioning Palestine. "Who is going to run the city? Outer Mongolia, in conjunction with India, China, Russia and America," questioned Peres. "The problem is not to formulate solutions but to reach mutually acceptable solutions," he said. |
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