Multilateral Talks

   At the Moscow Middle East Peace Conference in January 1992, a multilateral diplomatic track was established to complement the bilateral negotiating process between Israelis and Arabs initiated at the Madrid Middle East Conference of October 1991. The 36 parties attending the Moscow meetings agreed on the establishment of five working groups (comprised of Middle East parties and others) to deal with arms control and regional security, economic development, the environment, water resources, and refugees. Each working group had a designated gavel holder and facilitators, and each working group was represented on a steering group—cochaired by the United States and Russia—that guided the multilateral negotiating process. Although designed to operate parallel to the bilateral negotiations, the activities of the multilateral talks were directly affected by the shifting fortunes of Israel's direct separate negotiations with its various Arab neighbors.

   See also Arab-Israeli Conflict.