CATHOLIC PATRIARCH DOES NOT REGARD CAMP DAVID AS TOTAL FAILURE  Some Progress Toward Agreements; Voice of Church Is Now Heard
 
 ROME/JERUSALEM, JULY 26 (ZENIT.org).- After two weeks of fragile
 negotiations, the hopes for peace entrusted to the summit between
 Israelis and Palestinians in Camp David have foundered once again
 on the same rock: the question of Jerusalem's sovereignty.
 
 Bill Clinton himself had the task of announcing the failure of the
 negotiations. Yesterday he tried unsuccessfully to mediate between
 the positions of his two guests, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud
 Barak, and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
 
 The U.S. President was positive in his comment on Barak's role
 who, prior to the failure of the negotiations, announced his
 willingness to transfer the control of the Arab neighborhoods of
 the Holy City to the National Palestinian Authority, asking in
 exchange the annexation to Israel of some Jewish settlements.
 Clinton was more severe in his comments on Arafat, as he was
 intransigent in claiming full Palestinian sovereignty over East
 Jerusalem.
 
 Clinton revealed that some progress had been made, but he accused
 the Palestinian leader of not being ready for peace. The problems
 arose when the mediators tried to put down on paper possible
 points of agreement. At the beginning of yesterday's sessions,
 Arafat threatened to leave, as the Israeli Prime Minister failed
 to concede Arab sovereignty over East Jerusalem. At most, Barak
 offered to share the management of the Eastern neighborhoods,
 while the Palestinian leader insisted on complete control of the
 area, including the old fortress. Clinton tried to mediate again,
 hoping that the threats were merely strategic, as was the case
 last Wednesday. However, in no time he had to admit the summit's
 failure. Now the future is full of question marks, although the
 U.S. President did ask the parties not to take any initiatives and
 to maintain the door to negotiations open.
 
 Although the Camp David negotiations on the Middle East pass into
 history as one more lost opportunity, U.S. diplomacy is reflecting
 on the next moves to be taken so as not to lose the small steps of
 rapprochement that were taken between the two fronts.
 
 Once again, Jerusalem's future becomes one of the most difficult
 knots to undo, something which obviously worries the three
 Christian Patriarchs (Catholic, Greek-Orthodox, and Armenian
 Orthodox) of the Holy City, who ended their unprecedented meetings
 with Palestinian and Israeli Ministers yesterday.
 
 Speaking on Vatican Radio, Latin Patriarch Michel Sabbah of
 Jerusalem reviewed the Camp David failure, believing that in
 future negotiations on this city, the Church will be able to
 present its point of view ."Everyone gives their opinion. Our
 position is always the same: it is necessary that peace be
 established in Jerusalem and, to accomplish this, the rights of
 all, Palestinians and Israelis, must be recognized. We do not play
 political games, but affirm that to construct peace it is
 necessary to have true justice.  The Church's voice has been
 heard, the two parties have consulted us. This  means that in the
 future, when reference is made to the holy places, the Church will
 be asked to express its point of view."