Israel threatens to strike Syrian interests in Lebanon
Syria-Israel-USA, Politics, 3/1/2000

Israel has threatened to endanger the Syrian interests in Lebanon if the Hizbullah Party continues its attacks against the Israeli forces in south Lebanon.

Israel, on the other hand, ruled out a forthcoming announcement of resuming the Israeli-Syrian negotiations despite the fact that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak had admitted the pledge made by former Premier Yitzhak Rabin to withdraw to the June 4, 1967 border lines in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, while Damascus called on the Israeli government to abide by this commitment and make it written and warned that a unilateral withdrawal from south Lebanon without a peace agreement with Syria and Lebanon will explode the situation.

A statement released by the office of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak said that Barak informed the first secretary of the Egyptian Foreign Ministry and the director of President Mubarak's office for political affairs, Osama El-Baz, who visited Israel on Tuesday, that Israel will avail all chances to make peace a reality.

The statement added, "Prime Minister Barak stressed that he is committed to attempting to achieve a progress with the Syrians and the Palestinians."

The office denied any statement towards resuming Syrian-Israeli negotiations according to a new American deal.

Similarly, Washington denied the possibility of releasing such a declaration shortly.

The spokesman for the US State Department, James Rubin, said: "There is no truth to these rumors, reports, suggestions that there's an imminent announcement of a breakthrough on the Syria track. I wish that were true. It's not true."

Earlier, Arab diplomats in Amman said that Syria and Israel will resume negotiations by the end of March according to a formula sponsored by the US that provides for negotiating over all suspended issues simultaneously.

A high-ranking Arab diplomat said, "Syrian- Israeli negotiations will be resumed after al-Adha Eid in the USA. And a statement is expected to be released in this regard in the ten coming days." The Arab diplomat added, "Intensive contacts have yielded and Washington is putting the final touches on a formula that permits resuming negotiations."

The diplomats continued that the US median solution states the Syrian- Israeli committees concerned with the issues of borders, security arrangements, the waters and normalization of relations are to meet simultaneously.

Another Arab diplomat said, "What had been technical has become political. All committees will meet simultaneously to discuss technical and political issues."

Previous Stories:
  US tries to convince Syria to resume negotiations with Israel   (2/29/2000)
  US Jewish organizations members visit the Golan   (2/21/2000)
  US predicts Syrian- Israeli negotiations not to be resumed soon   (2/17/2000)

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