Chirac discusses with Assad Middle East peace, preparations for visit
Syria-France, Politics, 7/9/1998

Syrian President Hafez al-Assad on Wednesday received a telephone call from French President Jacques Chirac dealing with issues that included the peace process.

Meanwhile, the BBC's correspondent in Damascus said that the spokesman for the Syrian Presidency, Jubran Korieh, did not refer in his statements to the nature or content of the talks which will be held in France between President al-Assad and President Chirac next week.

The correspondent quoted Syrian sources as saying that the visit itself and the meeting between the two presidents is a very important event that may bring to the region several surprises, especially in regard to the Middle East peace process.

The report added that the sources said that in addition to Middle East peace, the two Presidents will discuss the French - Egyptian initiative to convene a second Madrid conference, bilateral relations between the two countries and Arab European partnership.

The sources added that Syrian - French relations are at their best. These relations, the sources said, have been recently described by the two countries' foreign ministers as a "strategic partnership." The sources noted the cool relations between the two countries before President Chirac came to power. Since then, President Chirac has been tackling Arab issues and thereafter relations between the two countries have become excellent.

The sources said that the two countries foreign ministers played a key role during the exchanged visits in bringing viewpoints together between the two countries regarding Middle East issues. The sources noted President Chirac's recent statements that both countries (Syria and France) share identical views in that peace is to be established in the Middle East region according to UN resolutions, the Madrid terms of reference and the land for peace formula.

Such stances, the sources said, had been stressed by President Chirac during his visits to both Syria and Israel three years ago. During his meeting with Israeli leaders President Chirac said that his country views Syria's sovereignty on the Golan as a non-negotiable matter and that peace with Syria should be based on the grounds of restoring territories occupied in 1967.

The sources added that President al-Assad has been continuously calling for an effective European role. He recently asked France for a separate role in peace initiatives.

Syria believes that European political, economic and diplomatic pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may force Netanyahu to give up his "anti-peace policy."

Previous Stories:
  President Assad's visit to France   (7/7/1998)
  President Assad to visit France after French National Day   (7/1/1998)
  Chirac in Lebanon address critical issues   (6/1/1998)

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