Middle Eastern countries have reacted with guarded optimism to yesterday's election of the Israeli Labour Party leader, Ehud Barak, as his country's new Prime Minister. Arab governments blamed Mr. Barak's predecessor, Benjamin Netanyahu, for the failure of the Middle East peace process. They expressed hope that the new Prime Minister would breathe fresh life into the peace talks.
The Jordanian government said that it hoped that Mr. Barak's victory would confirm the desire for peace in the region. The Arab league said there were positive signs that the new Prime Minister would encourage moves towards peace. Mr. Barak's victory over the right-wing Likud leader, Benjamin Netanyahu, has also been welcomed by Palestinian and Western leaders.
Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat, offered his best wishes to Mr. Barak saying that he hoped the Middle East peace process would be able to move forward. Chief Palestinian negotiator, Sa Berakat, said that the “land for peace” accord, negotiated at Wye River in the United States last year, should be put into immediate effect.
The US President, Bill Clinton, offered Mr. Barak his warmest congratulations saying that he looked forward to working with him on the peace process. He described the victory as a "strong mandate" by the Israeli people. In France, President Chirac said that he was sure decisive progress would be made in the coming months toward peace. The widow of assassinated Prime Minister, Yitzhak Rabin, Leah, described Mr. Barak's victory as a new dawn.
Mr. Barak has promised to unite his country and to work for peace with its Arab neighbours. In an address to supporters in Tel Aviv, he also repeated an election pledge to withdraw Israeli troops from Lebanon within a year. Mr. Barak had a decisive victory over the incumbent Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, in yesterday's election.
