Al-Shara cancels visit to Washington
Syria-USA, Politics, 6/14/2002

Official American sources said that the Syrian foreign minister Farouk al-Shara abrogated his visit due to Washington to meet with his American counterpart Colin Powell after Washington indicated he will be very coldly received because of the controversy at the UN Security Council following the declaration made by the Islamic Jihad movement from its headquarters in Damascus responsibility over blowing off the Israeli coach last week.

Damascus' decision to abrogate al-Shara's visit to Washington came after al-Shara was informed that the work schedule of the US President George Bush does not permit him to receive al-Shara at the While House, as al-Shara had asked for a meeting with Bush to hand him a message from President Bashar al-Assad.

Al-Shara had asked for a meeting with Powell in the framework of his visit to New York to meet with the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and to deliver a speech at the UN Security Council on the occasion of Syria's presidency of the UN Security Council for this month ( June).

Al-Shara was presumed to have delivered his speech on Thursday and to have met with Powell on Friday ( today) in Washington. However, the picture has been completely changed following the blowing off of the Israeli coach, after which the arrival date of al-Shara to Washington was initially amended until June 18, according to well-informed sources in New York.

Previous Stories:
  TTA news: The Syrian- American dialogue   (6/11/2002)
  Syria, the US to resume bilateral dialogue on terrorism, ME peace in September, in Damascus   (5/30/2002)
  On the American and Israeli pressures against Syria   (5/29/2002)

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