Israeli-Palestinian Negotiators Prepare For Peace Talks at Camp David
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Even before Israeli and Palestinian negotiators begin peace talks at Camp David, political defections are dampening the optimism. Early today, Israel's interior minister, a leading member of the coalition government, resigned his post in protest of the talks. That further weakens the eroding power base of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak. CNN White House correspondent Kelly Wallace joins us with more -- Kelly.</s>KELLY WALLACE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, publicly and privately no one here at the White House is claiming there is any definite guarantee of success at this week's summit, the situation Israeli Prime Minister Barak facing at home another example of just how difficult these issues will be. But the administration says it concluded that the negotiations were at an impasse and that the only way to move the process forward was to bring the leaders together. And so Israeli and Palestinian negotiators begin arriving in Washington today for two days of so-called pre-summit talks. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and the president's Middle East peace envoy Dennis Ross will participate in those talks. Then the leaders themselves make their way to the presidential retreat at Camp David, Maryland. Israeli Prime Minister Barak is expected to leave Israel tomorrow. He told reporters last week he put the odds, the chances of success at this summit at 50-50. He will be joined at Camp David by President Clinton and also by Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. The issues for the two leaders to resolve, the most difficult and really the most emotional, questions such as what to do about relocating and compensating more than three million Palestinian refugees, questions such as what the borders of a Palestinian state would look like and perhaps the most difficult issue of all, the future of Jerusalem. The Palestinians would like to have part of Jerusalem as their capital, but the Israelis have been saying no way to that. The hope is that the leaders will break enough ground so that they will meet their self-imposed deadline of September 13 for a comprehensive peace deal -- Kyra.</s>PHILLIPS: Kelly, how risky is this summit for the peace process?</s>WALLACE: Well, it certainly is risky because, again, the two sides, there are still significant differences between the two sides when it comes to the most difficult issues. Also, you have a real time pressure going on here because Chairman Arafat has said with or without a peace deal he will unilaterally declare Palestinian statehood in September. The Israelis say if the Palestinians go ahead and do that, they will take their own unspecified steps. So while the White House won't say that this is the last opportunity for peace, White House officials certainly know that if there is not progress, the process could deteriorate. There could be turmoil in the region and that would make it much more difficult for the two leaders to make the tough decisions -- Kyra.</s>PHILLIPS: All right, Kelly Wallace live from the White House, thank you.