(16 Sep 1998) English/Nat
20 years since the Israeli-Egytian negotiations at Camp David, many Arabs and Israelis remain sceptical of the results of the peace treaty.
Although Egypt and Israel are still at peace, the Middle East peace process remains deadlocked.
But others are adamant that Camp David negotiations were crucial as the first step to peace - leading to warmer relations between Israel and Jordan and finally to the Oslo Accords.
APTV spoke to some of the players involved in the Camp David negotiations.
The September 17 1978 agreement to try to end a conflict that had sparked four Arab-Israeli wars was overseen by the then president of the United States, Jimmy Carter.
Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menahem Begin signed the agreement at the White House.
It was the culmination of months of negotiations.
Crucial to the peace treaty were 12 tense days of talks at Camp David.
Those who were there say the chance to hammer out proposals away from the public eye, and more importantly the press, were crucial to the September 18th, 1978, agreement.
SOUNDBITE:
"I think without the Camp David Agreement it could have been very difficult even to sit and talk to the other side to arrive at an agreement of peace between the two sides. Camp David was the terms of reference for the parties when they were negotiating the Egyptian Israeli peace treaty and I think that if the other Arab countries had at that time accepted the Camp David agreement it would have been completely different from the situation at the present time."
SUPER CAPTION: Dr Mostafa Khalil, former Egyptian Prime Minister
Most of the Arab world denounced Sadat as a traitor and when the peace treaty was signed Egypt was suspended from the Arab League.
SOUNDBITE:
"Among us there was a mixed feeling that this is a historic achievement, but also sceptism about the actions which would ensue in the Arab world."
SUPER CAPTION: Former Egyptian ambassador to the US, Abdel Raouf El Reedy
Former Egyptian ambassador to the US, Abdel Raouf El Reedy described the daily routine at Camp David.
SOUNDBITE:
"Our daily routine would be that we would be taking our walks, and we would be meeting President Sadat also taking his walk, and immediately after that we would of course get busy looking into drafts, looking into proposals or counter proposals."
SUPERCAPTION: Former Egyptian ambassador to the US, Abdel Raouf El Reedy
Despite the sceptism, Meir Rosen, legal advisor to the foreign ministry, said he believed Camp David was the first step to better relations in the Middle East.
SOUNDBITE:
"There's no doubt that without the peace between Israel and Egypt, there wouldn't be today the peace treaty between Israel and Jordan and there wouldn't be an Oslo Agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, it's true the problems have not been solved, but we are certainly on the right track and this peace process is certainly irreversible."
SUPER CAPTION: Meir Rosen, legal advisor to foreign ministry
Many, though, feel that the Camp David Treaty did not fulfill the expectations of peace in the Middle East.
Find out more about AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
Twitter: [ Ссылка ]
Facebook: [ Ссылка ]
Instagram: [ Ссылка ]
You can license this story through AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
