Damascus reiterates refusal of the five-member summit, receiving Arafat
Syria-Palestine, Politics, 6/17/1999

Well-informed Palestinian sources in Damascus quoted Syrian officials in Damascus as saying that the five-member summit "will not be held at the meantime" due to Damascus' refusal to receive Yasser Arafat because of Damascus' "fears" of giving more concessions concerning Jerusalem, if such a meeting is made, as happened in 1993 when Arafat signed the Oslo agreement following a visit to Syria. The sources said the "whole picture will be made clear after Ehud Barak forms his new government."

The sources said that member of the central committee of the Fatah movement Abbas Zaki left Damascus on Wednesday, "following a private visit during which he did not meet with any Syrian officials," adding that Syrian officials refused to meet with Fatah executive committee member Hani al-Hassan who only met with the chairman of the Palestinian National Salvation Front, Khaled al-Fahoum, during an undeclared visit he recently made to the Syrian capital.

Al-Fahoum suggested for al-Hassan to revive the PLO and its institutions and recommended that the Palestinian opposition organizations have "to control concessions made by the other party" in remarks to Arafat.

Meanwhile, the chairman of the PLO political department, Farouk Qaddoumi, conveyed to the Syrian Vice President Abdul Halim Khaddam and the Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa "the strong keenness" of Arafat to visit Damascus.

The Palestinian sources said that Qaddoumi said, "Arafat's position is very difficult, and we hope you help him so as to be able to stand on his feet" and that that the Syrian officials asked why they should help Arafat, asking if it is for running to the Israelis, as whenever Arafat is in a critical condition he comes to Damascus to obtain a political cover.

Observers attribute Arafat's persistence to his conviction that the Israeli focus will be on the Syrian and Lebanese tracks in the next phase, at a time when Syrian officials reiterated their "commitment to the cause of Palestine and the main causes especially those of Jerusalem, the settlements and the refugees."

The Syrians also reiterated their opposition to backing the Oslo agreement, whose final negotiations have not started yet. The Palestinian sources indicated that Egyptian Foreign Minister Amr Moussa discussed the issue of the five-member summit with the Syrian officials, who asserted "their keenness in a pan-Arab summit to be attended by all and to have resolutions adopted exceeding those concluded by the recent Cairo summit of 1996."

The Palestinian sources added that Arafat asked for the mediation of Jordan's King Abdullah and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to approve receiving him in Syria.

Previous Stories:
  On Syrian-Palestinian disputes   (6/16/1999)
  Arafat is concerned over the Palestinian track   (5/26/1999)
  A Palestinian, Syrian, Egyptian summit to be held within one week   (5/26/1999)

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