Arabs Warn Israel To Keep Peace Path

Arab leaders issued a firm but measured warning Sunday to Israel that they would not brook any departure from the land-for-peace principle underlying current Mideast negotiations.

Concluding their first summit in nearly six years, the Arab leaders resisted Syrian pressure to endorse a freeze in relations with Israel. Instead, they produced a final statement free from menacing language or explicit threats.

But the communique, which bears the stamp of Egyptian mediation, made it clear that the Arabs expect Israel’s new prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to honor his country’s existing commitments. In particular, the joint communique points to Israel’s recent treaties with the Palestinians and the ground rules accepted during the 1991 Madrid peace conference.

What punitive measures the Arab states might take against Israel remain unstated. When Egyptian Foreign Minister Amr Moussa was asked at a news conference for details, he declined to provide specifics.

“A step on one side will be met with another step on the other side,” Moussa said. “This is the message.”

Arab diplomats noted Israel could jeopardize its embryonic trade and diplomatic relations with several North African and Persian Gulf countries if Netanyahu followed though on his hawkish rhetoric.