Mubarak, Assad discuss progress of talks on peace tracks
Egypt-Syria, Politics, 5/9/2000

The Egyptian-Syrian summit held in Cairo yesterday between Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Syrian President Hafez Al-Assad tackled the progress of the peace process on the three Syrian, Lebanese and Palestinian tracks, and latest Arab developments.

The two leaders reviewed a brief report submitted by the Foreign Ministers of Egypt and Syria on Palmyra meeting, which was held recently among the Foreign Ministers of Egypt, Syria and Saudi Arabia.

Foreign Minister Amr Moussa told a news conference he held yesterday with Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk Al-Shara that talks held by the two leaders took up the Middle East developments on its three tracks.

Moussa said that they reached a full accord in their viewpoints relevant to the frameworks and bases of peace, namely the full restoration of Arab territories in return for peace. "This applies to Syria as well as to Lebanon and Palestine," he added.

Moussa and Shara briefed the two presidents on the talks held in the Syrian city of Tadmor ( Palmyra) and the next steps already broached.

Moussa said the Egyptian and Syrian Presidents agreed to hold a meeting by the foreign Ministers of Damascus Declaration member-states in Cairo in the first week of June.

"There is also a probability that Arab Foreign Ministers meet if the situation so requires," he added.

The Egyptian top diplomat said the Egyptian-Syrian talks tackled the situation in the Arab states and the necessity of coordination on all arenas. As to Damascus and Cairo, the Minister said they see eye to eye in this respect.

Al-Shara stressed the importance of Monday's summit under the current circumstances. "The summit marks an important leap in Syria-Egypt relations at the bilateral and Arab level," he pointed out.

Al-Shara expected the summit would lead to a series of future meetings by Foreign Ministers of Damascus Declaration member-states, all Arab Foreign Ministers or meetings at higher levels.

"The Arab situation needs improvement and we are all aware of the importance of this moment in the region's history at a time when Israel wants to evade the dues of peace under several pretexts," Shara said, stressing that this matter would not pass easily.

"Syria, Egypt and the Arabs in general want peace and a fair and comprehensive solution to the 50-year Arab-Israeli struggle,based on international legitimacy and the land-for-peace principle," Shara said.

On possible Arab measures to deter more Israeli attacks on Lebanon, Moussa named as first insistence on a full Israeli pullout from the occupied south in accordance with the UN Security Council Resolutions 425 and 426.

"With the Israeli strikes at Lebanon¹s civilians and civil installations so vivid in the minds, Arab public opinion is not amenable to the notion of normalizing ties with the Jewish state," he remarked.

"The Arab world does not feel at ease with developments on the Syrian and Palestinian peace tracks," said Moussa, highlighting fears over the scale of Israel's projected pullback from south Lebanon.

He asserted that Israel must withdraw to the internationally recognized borders, adding that the pullout should be carried out within the said frames.

On possible resumption of Syrian-Israeli talks, Al-Shara warned that the peacemaking drive is passing through a very complicated stage, blaming Israel for the current logjam on all tracks.

"Syria, Egypt and all Arabs back a full Israeli withdrawal from south Lebanon," he said.

"The Arab peace strategy is based on the 1991 Madrid conference terms on reference, the relevant UN resolutions and the land-for-peace formula," said Syria's top diplomat.

While reiterating Syria's adherence to the Middle East peacemaking, Al-Shara said that hopes were dashed by Israel's recalcitrance and procrastination.

Asked whether there are US-Syrian contacts to revive talks on the deadlocked Syrian track, he said that contacts with the US Administration on the Middle East peace process were never halted.

Syrian-Israeli peace talks collapsed last January. A bid by US President Bill Clinton last March to break the impasse went nowhere.

Al-Shara asserted, however, that contacts are not an objective but rather a means to reach the aspired-for goals.

On Syria's view of the situation in Lebanon and the role of the United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL), he said that Damascus backed all relevant UNSC resolutions on the Arab-Israeli conflict.

"We support the implementation of the UNSC resolution 425 but that must not be an attempt to wriggle out off implementing other resolutions," said Al-Shara.

Previous Stories:
  Egyptian - Syrian summit   (5/8/2000)
  Al-Assad to visit Egypt next week   (5/5/2000)
  Unilateral withdrawal from South Lebanon won't corner Syria   (5/5/2000)

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