Issue Date: www.insightmag.com - Dec. 5-11, 2006, Posted On: 12/5/2006
Baker wants Israel excluded from regional conference
Former Secretary of State James Baker (left) of the Iraq Study Group
speaks while his co-chair Lee Hamilton looks on in September 2006.
(AFP/File/Mandel Ngan)
The White House has been examining a proposal by James Baker to launch
a Middle East peace effort without Israel.
The peace effort would begin with a U.S.-organized conference, dubbed
Madrid-2, and contain such U.S. adversaries as Iran and Syria.
Officials said Madrid-2 would be promoted as a forum to discuss Iraq's
future, but actually focus on Arab demands for Israel to withdraw from
territories captured in the 1967 war. They said Israel would not be
invited to the conference.
=E2=80=9CAs Baker sees this, the conference would provide a unique
opportunity for the United States to strike a deal without Jewish
pressure,=E2=80=9D an official said. =E2=80=9CThis has become the most hott=
est
proposal examined by the foreign policy people over the last month.=E2=80=
=9D
Officials said Mr. Baker's proposal, reflected in the recommendations
of the Iraq Study Group, has been supported by Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice, Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns and National
Intelligence Director John Negroponte. The most controversial element
in the proposal, they said, was Mr. Baker's recommendation for the
United States to woo Iran and Syria.
=E2=80=9CHere is Syria, which is clearly putting pressure on the Lebanese
democracy, is a supporter of terror, is both provisioning and
supporting Hezbollah and facilitating Iran in its efforts to support
Hezbollah, is supporting the activities of Hamas," National Security
Advisor Stephen Hadley told a briefing last week. "This is not a Syria
that is on an agenda to bring peace and stability to the region."
Officials said the Baker proposal to exclude Israel from a Middle East
peace conference garnered support in the wake of Vice President *****
Cheney's visit to Saudi Arabia on Nov. 25. They said Mr. Cheney spent
most of his meetings listening to Saudi warnings that Israel, rather
than Iran, is the leading cause of instability in the Middle East.
=E2=80=9CHe [Cheney] didn't even get the opportunity to seriously discuss t=
he
purpose of his visit=E2=80=94that the Saudis help the Iraqi government and
persuade the Sunnis to stop their attacks,=E2=80=9D another official famili=
ar
with Mr. Cheney=E2=80=99s visit said. =E2=80=9CInstead, the Saudis kept say=
ing that
they wanted a U.S. initiative to stop the Israelis=E2=80=99 attack in Gaza
and Cheney just agreed.=E2=80=9D
Under the Baker proposal, the Bush administration would arrange a
Middle East conference that would discuss the future of Iraq and other
Middle East issues. Officials said the conference would seek to win
Arab support on Iraq in exchange for a U.S. pledge to renew efforts to
press Israel to withdraw from the West Bank and Golan Heights.
=E2=80=9CBaker sees his plan as containing something for everybody, except
perhaps the Israelis,=E2=80=9D the official said. =E2=80=9CThe Syrians woul=
d get
back the Golan, the Iranians would get U.S. recognition and the Saudis
would regain their influence, particularly with the Palestinians.=E2=80=9D
Officials said Mr. Baker's influence within the administration and the
Republican Party=E2=80=99s leadership stems from support by the president's
father as well as former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. Throughout
the current Bush administration, such senior officials as Mr. Hadley
and Ms. Rice were said to have been consulting with Brent Scowcroft,
the former president's national security advisor, regarded as close to
Mr. Baker.
=E2=80=9CEverybody has fallen in line,=E2=80=9D the official said. =E2=80=
=9CBush is not
in the daily loop. He is shocked by the elections and he's hoping for a
miracle on Iraq.=E2=80=9D
For his part, Mr. Bush has expressed unease in negotiating with Iran.
At a Nov. 30 news conference in Amman, Jordan, the president cited
Iran's interference in the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al
Maliki.
=E2=80=9CWe respect their heritage, we respect their history, we respect
their traditions,=E2=80=9D Mr. Bush said. =E2=80=9CI just have a problem wi=
th a
government that is isolating its people, denying its people benefits
that could be had from engagement with the world.=E2=80=9D
Mr. Baker's recommendation to woo Iran and Syria has also received
support from some in the conservative wing of the GOP. Over the last
week, former and current Republican leaders in Congress=E2=80=94convinced of
the need for a U.S. withdrawal before the 2008 presidential
elections=E2=80=94have called for Iranian and Syrian participation in an
effort to stabilize Iraq.
=E2=80=9CI would look at an entirely new strategy,=E2=80=9D former House Sp=
eaker
Newt Gingrich said. =E2=80=9CWe have clearly failed in the last three years
to achieve the kind of outcome we want.=E2=80=9D
In contrast, Defense Department officials have warned against granting
a role to Iran and Syria at Israel's expense. They said such a strategy
would also end up undermining Arab allies of the United States such as
Egypt, Jordan and Morocco.
=E2=80=9CThe regional strategy is a euphemism for throwing Free Iraq to the
wolves in its neighborhood: Iran, Syria and Saudi Arabia,=E2=80=9D said the
Center for Security Policy, regarded as being close to the Pentagon.
=E2=80=9CIf the Baker regional strategy is adopted, we will prove to all the
world that it is better to be America's enemy than its friend. Jim
Baker's hostility towards the Jews is a matter of record and has
endeared him to Israel's foes in the region.=E2=80=9D
But Defense Secretary-designate Robert Gates, a former colleague of Mr.
Baker on the Iraq Study Group, has expressed support for U.S.
negotiations with Iran and Syria. In response to questions from the
Senate Armed Services Committee, which begins confirmation hearings
this week, Mr. Gates compared the two U.S. adversaries to the Soviet
Union.
=E2=80=9CEven in the worst days of the Cold War, the U.S. maintained a
dialogue with the Soviet Union and China, and I believe those channels
of communication helped us manage many potentially difficult
situations,=E2=80=9D Mr. Gates said. =E2=80=9COur engagement with Syria nee=
d not be
unilateral. It could, for instance, take the form of Syrian
participation in a regional conference.=E2=80=9D
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