Security arrangements after a pullback. The Golan Heights have served as a protective barrier for Israel and it is seeking substitute arrangements, including an early warning system of imminent attack.From The Associated Press . . . . News:Wye River Memorandum Background:Mideast Timeline The West Bank in Brief Key Players Maps:Middle East Israel Land-for-peace deal Interactive:Message board A statement from Syria's presidential palace said Assad welcomed the resumption in talks. And Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Nawaf Massalha said the "significance of this is that Assad intends to finish" an agreement. "We are at a pivotal moment in the Middle East peace process," Clinton said at the news conference, "one that can shape the face of the region for generations to come. "History will not forgive a failure to seize this opportunity to achieve a comprehensive peace," he said. "Before us is a task as clear as it is challenging," Clinton said, adding that Barak and Assad bear a heavy responsibility to bring peace to their people. He also said that he hoped peace talks between Israel and Lebanon could be resumed, now that Syria and Israel had agreed to negotiations. Clinton determined to pursue Israeli-Palestinian talksOn perhaps the most dominant peace issue in the Middle East --- Israel and the Palestinians -- Clinton also said he is determined to keep negotiations on track. The talks bogged down this week over the issue of Jewish settlements on the West Bank and in the Gaza Strip. Clinton said Barak and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat are committed to their timetable to forge the framework for a final peace plan by February, with implementation in September. And he vowed to do what he could to help. "I will spare neither time nor effort in pursuit of peace," Clinton said. 'Peace within grasp'At his news conference, Clinton laid out an ambitious set of Middle East goals -- provided the region's leaders are willing to make "cou...
