Israel proposes Syria to raise the level of negotiations with Israel
Syria-Israel, Politics, 9/8/1999

The UPI agency quoted Arab diplomatic sources in Damascus as saying that US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright has proposed for the Syrian officials to raise the level of negotiations with Israel.

The sources, who refused to be identified, said Albright proposed during her meeting with Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa last Saturday the idea of raising the level of negotiations to the foreign ministers so the two delegations will negotiate under the chairmanship of al-Sharaa and his Israeli counterpart, David Levy.

Syrian sources abstained from asserting such information or denying it. The diplomatic sources said that Syria refused the new-old US proposal, and this refusal is based on basics of the Syrian stand, which is built on refusing this proposal because it aims at making maneuvers and falls in the context of normalization of relations according to the Israeli desire, before the Middle East peace process proceeds on the Syrian-Israeli track.

The sources said Israel's "most important" requirements are acknowledging former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin's document deposited with the US, which states Israel's complete withdrawal from the whole of the Golan Heights to the June 4, 1967 borders, completing what has been achieved in security arrangements and discussing the issue of natural relations as Syria seeks to name the normalization process according to the Israeli expression.

The diplomatic sources explained that despite Syria's disappointment that Albright did not carry with her an "admission" from Barak of the document of his predecessor, Rabin, to ensure an immediate resumption of negotiations, Damascus does not conceal its optimism on the possibility of enabling the US efforts to make a breakthrough later, especially as Albright, according to the same source, pledged to continue her efforts which avail negotiations to be relaunched.

Previous Stories:
  Clinton gives priority to the Syrian - Israeli track   (9/7/1999)
  Russia calls for maintaining progress on the Syrian track   (9/7/1999)
  Syrian impressions on Albright's visit   (9/6/1999)

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