Intensive Syrian contacts to resume the peace process
Syria, Politics, 11/11/1999

The al-Quds daily published in the occupied Arab territories said on Wednesday, quoting diplomatic sources in Damascus, that the contacts currently being made between Damascus and several Arab and world capitals have resulted in very important results whose outcome will shortly surface.

The sources, which abstained from being identified, told the paper that there are "American pressures made on Syria and Lebanon, alongside with European pressures on Israel to resume the talks and reach peace agreements over the Golan and south Lebanon during the first half of next year."

The sources drew links between the European promises and the moves carried out by Damascus, mainly the recent visit made by Bashar al-Assad to Paris, a visit which was welcomed in a way that reveals international and, in particular, European recognition of him as the next president for Syria.

News reports from Damascus talked about important developments conveyed to France concerning the Syrian stand towards resuming negotiations. Damascus used to set the precondition of Israel's complete withdrawal from the Golan and the returning back to the June 4, 1967 border lines before resuming negotiations, a matter which is rejected by Israel, adding that Syria, at the present accepts negotiations over Israel's security and water interests against Israel's admission that it has to withdraw from the whole of Golan the same as from south Lebanon, which means that "withdrawal first no longer exists."

Al-Quds daily, on the other hand, indicated that the Syrian sources speak about an improvement in the relations with Cairo and that the coolness has been eliminated with the coming visit of Bashar al-Assad to Cairo.

Previous Stories:
  French president confers with Bashar al-Assad   (11/8/1999)
  Kharazi to visit Damascus on Saturday   (11/2/1999)
  Al-Assad gets a message from Chirac   (11/2/1999)

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