THE PEACE OF THE BRAVE

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Difficult as the issues settled last week may still be, the thorniest part of the thicket lies ahead. In May both sides start discussing the Jewish settlements in the occupied territories (whose residents pledge never to leave); the fate of Palestinians still living in refugee camps; and the status of the mutually claimed capital, Jerusalem. Finally, there is the question of the one person whose absence in Washington last week was most conspicuous: Hafez Assad, President of Syria, without whose participation no Middle Eastern peace agreement would be comprehensive. Focusing on Syria as the key to expanding peace throughout the Arab world, U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher may fly to Damascus next month to restart Syrian-Israeli negotiations over the Golan Heights.

For all the uncertainty, however, the momentum set by Rabin and Arafat seems largely irrevocable. Even if Israel's conservative Likud bloc came to power, or if Arafat were ousted, turning back would be impossible without international condemnation and a return to near war. That realization may force both sides to swallow the medicine. But it doesn't make the taste any less bitter for two partners who, having proved they cannot exist together, must now fashion a way to exist separately. An old Arab saying is, "Keep your tents apart and bring your hearts together." It is not an easy maxim to live up to.

--Reported by Sam Allis/Jerusalem, James Carney and Dean Fischer/Washington and Scott MacLeod/Paris