On Sharm al-Sheikh meeting
Syria-Egypt, Politics, 5/19/2001

The London- based al-Sharq al-Awsat daily issued on Friday highlighted in a report from both Cairo and Damascus the Sharm al-Sheikh meeting between Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt.

The paper indicated that the Syrian ambassador in Cairo Youssef al-Ahmad denied in statements to it what has been rumored on internal conditions in Syria that led to shortening the visit of President Bashar al-Assad to Egypt. He also denied any disputes between Egypt and Syria.

A Syrian official told the paper that the situation in Syria is an extension to what has been before, noting that Syria is strong and is based on a strong people's support and on institutions that are able to confront challenges and therefore there are " enemy" sides which try to implant sedition.

As for bilateral relations, Egyptian sources told the paper that it was agreed during the discussions between President Hosni Mubarak and President Bashar al-Assad to stop the Syrian media criticism of the Egyptian- Jordanian initiative concerning the halting of violence and resuming the negotiations on the Palestinian- Israeli track.

These sources explained that President Mubarak explained to his Syrian counterpart that this initiative is considered the best proposal on the political arena in guaranteeing the need of Israel's implementation of the obligations approved at Sharm al- Sheikh memorandum and honoring its previous obligations.

An official Syrian source told the paper that the atmosphere of the talks was very friendly and that President Mubarak accompanied President Bashar al-Assad in a field tour and he drove the car himself, adding that three meetings were scheduled for this visit. One is a close- door and two are plenary on the ground that one of these two meetings was due in the second day of the visit in the presence of the foreign ministers of the two countries and the Syrian ambassador in Cairo. The meeting was at the Egyptian President's special office and lasted for almost two hours.

The Syrian source continued that then President Bashar al-Assad moved to the hotel where he resided and a plenary meeting took place that included President Mubarak, President Bashar and members of the Syrian and Egyptian delegations, adding that after the meeting and the end of the program of the visit, President Bashar al-Assad preferred to leave Sharm al-Sheikh and the seeing off ceremony was very warm. The source continued that during that meeting view points were identical and therefore what had been rumored is baseless.

The Syrian official said that President Bashar al-Assad will visit Sharm al-Sheikh as soon as possible in order to make a touristic tour, especially he had greatly admired this area following the tour he made with President Mubarak.

Concerning the Palestinian side of the visit, a well-informed Syrian source denied categorically the information stated by diplomatic sources that there is an Egyptian mediation between Syria and the Palestinian Authority.The Syrian source also denied what has been said on Egypt's attempt to convene a tripartite meeting in Sharm al-Sheikh between Presidents Bashar al-Assad, Hosni Mubarak and Yasser Arafat.

The Syrian source explained that these news are baseless and that there was no mediation because there is no need for a mediation between Syria " and our Palestinian brothers," especially that Syria was the side which extended her hand to the Palestinians through the speech delivered by President Bashar al-Assad at Amman's summit.

Al-Sharq al-Awsat learnt that President Bashar al-Assad has put certain conditions, for meeting with the Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, foremost being making a genuine reconciliation with the Palestinian opposition groups, that exist in Damascus and work to minimize the volume of differences with these groups so as to consolidate unity of the Palestinian ranks in confrontation of the escalated Israeli aggressions in the occupied territories.

Previous Stories:
  Al-Assad holds a short visit to Egypt   (5/17/2001)
  Al-Assad heads to Egypt   (5/16/2001)
  Al-Assad, Mubarak's summit in Cairo on Thursday   (5/14/2001)

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