Moving the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to west Jerusalem was raised in "strong discussions" at the failed Camp David peace summit this month, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said Saturday. Albright, speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an Asian security forum in Bangkok, declined to be specific but hinted that the question of the embassy's location had been a point of major conversation in negotiations with Israel and the Palestinians over the holy city, which both sides want as a capital.
Her comments followed remarks on Friday by President Bill Clinton who said in an interview that he would decide by the end of the year whether to move the embassy.
Asked why Clinton had raised the issue at this time, Albright replied: "Because we had such strong discussions about all the issues at Camp David, and I think it was a question that had come up."
"It has been an issue for some time," she said, noting Congressional action that requires moving the embassy to Jerusalem on which Clinton has thus far used his executive powers to defer every year.
In the interview, Clinton said he would make a decision on the status of the embassy because of developments at the 15-day Camp David summit where Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian President Yasser Arafat failed to reach agreement on all of the final status issues, with Jerusalem being the most difficult.
"In light of what has happened, I've taken that decision under review and I'll make a decision sometime between now and the end of the year," Clinton said – BANGKOK (AFP)
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