Arab-Israeli Talks in Recess; Little Progress Reported

WASHINGTON â€”  Arab and Israeli negotiators ended a largely fruitless round of peace talks Thursday but tentatively agreed to return next month for 10 more days of conferences before the Bush Administration ends.

Assistant Secretary of State Edward P. Djerejian, summing up the seventh round of talks, said the negotiators made only “incremental progress� but were determined to keep trying, despite military skirmishing across the Israel-Lebanon border and the uncertainty presented by a new American presidential administration.

As the round ended, Washington called for new talks starting Dec. 7. Israel immediately accepted and officials of the Syrian, Jordanian, Lebanese and Palestinian delegations said they intended to be there, too, though the final decision will be made by Arab foreign ministers at a meeting in Beirut later this month.

Perhaps the most encouraging aspect of the largely static round of talks is that they will continue, despite problems that almost surely would have derailed the peace process if they had come earlier.

Djerejian said Washington wants to stage another round of talks to show that the negotiations “should not be distracted during our (presidential) transition.�

Meanwhile, U.S. officials ruled out a round of lame-duck shuttle diplomacy by former Secretary of State James A. Baker III. Both Arab and Israeli delegates expressed interest in a last-gasp trip by Baker, whose earlier diplomacy brought the two sides to the table. But Bush Administration officials concluded the tour would be unlikely to produce substantive progress.