On Arafat 's visit to Damascus
Syria-Palestine, Politics, 4/6/2001

The Saudi daily al-Madina said on Wednesday quoting well informed sources that President Bashar al-Assad will discuss with the chairman of the palestinian Authority Yasser Arafat during their forthcoming meeting in Damascus, the content of an initial agreement on means of ending the boycott between the Palestinian Fatah Movement and Damascus, noting that this agreement was reached by the chairman of the political department at the Palestine Liberation Organization Farouk al-Qaddoumi with the Syrian leadership.

According to the same information, the paper said that the initial agreement states that Fatah movement will be no more banned in the Syrian territories and is to be represented in legal frameworks, rather those who split from it, noting that the question of the Palestinian detainees in the Syrian jails will be also discussed during President al- Assad's meeting with Arafat.

The Saudi paper added that a nearby Syrian decisions will be taken shortly towards the PLO, adding that these include reopening the offices of the Fatah movement in Damascus, which were closed in 1983, including Arafat's office and the Syrian government's release of the PLO's assets and seized properties, estimated at millions of USD, against Arafat's commitment to maintain coordination and consultation with the Syrian leadership.

The paper reported according to reports from Amman that the Syrian leadership will try to convince Arafat on the need of tightening his stances towards the leader of the Israeli government Ariel Sharon and his projects in Palestine and to embark on this position as a strategic option, considering that this Syrian position comes after Damascus has become convinced that the negotiations on the Syrian track is not within Sharon's program in the coming phase.

The paper added that the provocation practiced by Sharon at the American administration against the Syrian leadership and his accusations raised against President al-Assad of encouraging Hizbullah to attack the Israeli soldiers and bombarding the north of Israel, all increased Damascus's conviction of Sharon's plans against the Syrian track.

Previous Stories:
  Khaddam confers with al-Qaddoumi   (4/3/2001)
  Al-Shara discusses with al-Qaddoumi developments in the Palestinian territories   (4/2/2001)
  Damascus officially recognizes the Palestinian Authority   (3/30/2001)

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