Israel's Barak wants talks with Assad
Syria, Politics, 8/14/1997

Syrian president Hafez Assad on August 13 criticized the Israeli prime minister as an enemy of peace and praised the left-leaning Israeli opposition.

Of the Israeli Labor party leader Ehud Barak, Assad said, "Barak is positive, and I think he follows the track of peace of Rabin," according to Israeli parliament member and member of the Israeli-Arab delegation to Syria, Walid Sadek.

Another member of the Israeli parliament, Saleh Tarif, said the delegation told Assad that Barak and his party were determined to proceed with the peace process and were prepared to resume talks where they left off when they stalled in December 1995. Netanyahu wants them to start from scratch. Rabin's government had been discussing a full withdrawal from the Golan with Syria.

Tarif said Barak had told the delegation to tell Assad that Syria should resume negotiations.

Earlier, the visiting Israeli-Arabs met with Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk Sharaa. Tarif quoted Sharaa as indicating on August 12 that "there are in Israel the left wing parties, which we can negotiate with and reach a solution"

Sadek said Sharaa discussed with the Israeli-Arabs ways to boost coordination between Syria and pro-peace Israeli parties.

After the meeting with Assad, Abdul-Wahab Darawsheh, a Knesset member who heads Israel's Arab Democratic Party, was asked if he carried a message to the Syrian leader from Yasser Arafat.

Darawsheh said Arafat had "asked me to tell president Assad of his desire to meet him."

Previous Stories:
  Controversial Iraeli Arab delegation meets with Assad   (8/13/1997)
  Likud MK calls for Darawsheh condemnation   (8/12/1997)
  Israeli Arabs to visit Syria   (8/4/1997)

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