Here is the UPI article, as it appeared on January 9, 2000. Scott is quoted here, some papers chose to paraphrase prior to print.

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Barak visits American battle site By PAMELA HESS SHEPHERDSTOWN, Jan. 9 (UPI) -

Israel's most decorated war hero visited the scene of America's bloodiest battle ever with Secretary of State Madeline Albright this morning, as negotiators prepared for a seventh day of peace talks between Syria and Israel. Barak, in town to discuss the possibility of peace with Israel's long-time adversary, was particularly interested in how the two armies communicated across the vast green fields. Both Barak and Syrian Foreign Minister Farrouk Sharaa remained in the area today as President Clinton is expected to return today at 5:00 pm to wrap up the week's negotiations. The battle at Antietam, in nearby Maryland, marked a turning point in the Civil War, because it was the first major battle the North did not lose. Approximately 23,000 Americans died or were injured in a single day during the Civil War -- more than any day of battle in any war the United States has been involved in. While the North could not claim total victory, Gen. Robert E. Lee's troops were forced back from the battle, and that small victory gave President Abraham Lincoln the moral authority to issue the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring the freedom of the slaves in the South, said Scott Anderson, a regional historian for the Smithsonian Institution. Anderson believes a visit to Antietam is an appropriate stop for two leaders whose countries have been to war three times since Israel's inception in 1948. "I would hope they would realize no matter what they thought the benefits of war would be, the true cost is the loss of human life and the repercussion of the civilians in the surrounding area. No matter who wins or loses, the civilians always lose," he told United Press International. This is the most pristine battlefield in America - and for the lessons learned I would say this is the best place to go to study that, because it is so much today like it was then. Not much has changed in the town," he said. But it will take more than history lessons to bring about peace in the embattled Middle East. "We will not sign an agreement unless, in our opinion, it will strengthen the security of Israel and address its vital needs," Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak told reporters in Hebrew at Antietam battlefield, "There is no doubt that the negotiation is difficult, not easy and we cannot predict how long it will last," he said. "The negotiation is very complex," Barak said. Foreign Minister David Levy added, "nothing has been agreed upon." On Saturday, Sharaa joined Secretary of State Madeline Albright for a tour of historic Harpers Ferry on Saturday and then went to her home in nearby Virginia for tea. The Syrians broke the fast of Ramadan -- an annual Islamic month-long observance of daytime fasting - on Saturday morning. She planned on having Barak to tea sometime today, according to State Department officials.