ABSTRACT
On April 1, 2000, Pär Nuder, a special emissary of the prime minister of Sweden, Göran Persson, arrived secretly in Israel. The prime minister, a strong friend of Israel, was involved in a political struggle with his pro- Palestinian foreign minister, Anna Lindh. Pär Nuder, who served as the state secretary, and was in practice the chief of staff in the Prime Minister’s Office in Stockholm, carried a personal message for Ehud Barak:
The chances of what we all dream of – a just and lasting peace in the region – look better than ever, largely thanks to your personal and dynamic contribution to the process … the Palestinians are very worried that the current process is not working fast enough to produce results on time. They see a need for better options for secret talks, for more informal contacts between the sides, and for ways and means that will allow free and completely secret discussions on the core issues, together with you. To this end, Abu Mazen has asked us to help promote the creation of such contacts. He specifically asked that I contact you personally on this issue. After careful consideration, I have decided to convey this request from the Palestinian side. I have asked my state secretary, Pär Nuder … to convey this message to you personally. He can explain in more detail what the Palestinians propose.
