Background:
Israelis, Palestinians, Egyptians and people of other nationalities in Egypt met in Cairo to negotiate regional peace. Ehud Barak had been elected as Israeli Prime Minister in May 1999 which resulted in renewed peace negotiations.
Side A:
An unidentified person speaks at the Cairo Peace Conference titled “Arab-Israeli Peace: Time to Act“ (5th-7th July 1999). All participants wished to move on in the process. The conference’s slogan “Time to Act“ represents what they believe about what should be done after the elections in Israel. He then reads out the statement by the Steering Committee of the International Alliance on behalf of the conference. In it, the purpose, background and actions of the conference are outlined. Its subcommittees were “Implementation of Agreements“, “Violence“, “Regional Cooperation“, “Settlements“ and “Peace Culture“. Claims on settlements, Jerusalem, regional peace and other related topics are addressed in the statement.
In a question and answer session, representatives speak about the potential impact of the conference; the status of Jerusalem; expectations from the new Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak; Palestinian claims; discussions between Ehud Barak and Yāssir ʿArafāt; the message behind Barak’s early trip to Cairo; varying perception of “violence“ and “resistance.“
Side B:
The questions and answers continue and contain conference participants’ views on the issues of national rights of Palestinians in Jerusalem; East Jerusalem and Jerusalem’s future as the possible capital of a Palestinian State; the Egyptian-Israeli Peace Treaty as the reason why Cairo was chosen as the conference’s location; the Israeli perception of the way to negotiate; the Palestinian anticipation of Israeli concessions; the significance of Jerusalem to the conference participants.
