In his first diplomatic speech since losing his bid for reelection, former Prime Minister Ehud Barak yesterday implicitly attacked Foreign Affairs Minister Shimon Peres's plans to meet with Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat. "You can't ask the foreign ministers of Germany, Britain or France not to meet with Arafat, if we're meeting with him," Barak said.

Speaking at a meeting of the United Kibbutz Movement secretariat in Ramat Efal, Barak's speech did not name Peres when he criticized attempts to engage Arafat in dialogue. "You can't ask the Prime Minister of Norway not to meet with him, if the person closest to the Prime Minister, does," Barak said. Though the comment referred nominally to referring to Omri Sharon, the Prime Minister's son, Barak's comment was perceived as a sharp barb aimed at Peres.

Barak fiercely attacked Arafat, saying that "whoever

"Whoever thinks Arafat is still a partner is either suffering from self-delusion or fantasy." - Former Prime Minister Ehud Barak

thinks Arafat is still a partner is either suffering from self-delusion or fantasy." Barak said that Arafat "accepts the fact of Israel's existence but does not accept Israel's moral right to exist." According to Barak, "Arafat's vision is not of two states for two people, one Israeli, Zionist and democratic - and the other Palestine. He is striving for two states, one state of Palestine for the Palestinians, and the other an Israeli-Palestinian bi-national entity in which the Palestinians eventually have a majority, with the Palestinian state remaining hostile to Israel with demands to change the fundamental basis of the state of Israel."

While leaving open the door to negotiations on the basis of Camp David, which Barak said could be held without preconditions other than a total lack of violence, Barak detailed his plan for an "initiated unilateral separation between [Israel] and the Palestinians, in a carefully staged manner over some four years." Barak's vision of separation would include "borders" between Jewish and Palestinian neighborhoods in Jerusalem.

"Demography is working against us," Barak said. "If we don't hurry and separate, we will not have an Israeli state that is Jewish, Zionist and democratic." Barak said the separation preferably would be done by agreement, but would have to be unilateral because Arafat was not a partner in making the "difficult decisions necessary for leaders of the two nations."

Barak said isolated settlements would have to be evacuated as part of the separation process, while others would be annexed to designated settlement blocs.

In his speech Barak endorsed Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer's candidacy for Labor Party leader. "Fuad [Ben-Eliezer] represents the central path and at this time he is the man I support to head the party," Barak said. Political commentators were quick to suggest that Barak envisions Ben-Eliezer as a temporary party leader until his own return to politics, but Barak refused to answer a reporter's question regarding when that return might take place.

Former justice minister Yossi Beilin said that he was "astounded by Barak's comments about the need to avoid meeting Palestinian leaders, considering [Barak] continued negotiations during the Intifada and up to the elections." Beilin, who was a member of Barak's negotiating team, said he had no doubt that if Barak had been reelected in February, he would have continued the process."

Peres returns fire, makes plans for meeting with Arafat
Commenting after hearing about Barak's speech, Peres lashed back, saying that he didn't see "Barak as a source of legitimacy," when it comes to talking with Arafat. "[Barak] met with Arafat and offered him far-reaching proposals. I propose that everyone try to learn from their mistakes." Peres said.

Peres added that legitimacy "comes from the voters and not other people. The government decided that there should be negotiations with the Palestinians to reach a cease-fire. That is the source of our legitimacy."

According to media reports, Peres may meet with Arafat in Berlin within the next few days. German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer brokered the meeting, after he held talks with Arafat in Ramallah today and relayed Peres's request to meet at the earliest opportunity to discuss a cease-fire and the implementation of the Mitchell Committee peace proposals. Arafat announced his acceptance of the proposal at a joint press conference held after the meeting.

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