Al-Sharaa, Barak to return to their countries

The Israeli Radio correspondent in Shepherdstown, West Virginia said on Sunday that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa will return today to the Middle East following the expected meeting the two men were due to hold on Sunday with US President Bill Clinton.

A source at the Israeli negotiating team said that contrary to what has been said by the chairman of the Israeli Likud Party, Ariel Sharon, discussions have not been completed over any issue, and the negotiating process is having its ups and downs, adding that the Israeli delegation wants to see during the negotiation process the extent of normalization the Syrians will agree on.

Meanwhile, Israeli Minister of Health Shlomo Benizri, a member of the Shas movement, said the impression he got from the meeting held on Sunday between the leader of the movement, Rabbi Obadia Youssef, and Minister of Communications Binyamin Ben-Eliezer that Israel will have "a foot" in Jabal al-Sheikh and that this will be as an observation tower for Israel.

He added that Shas has concerns over the possibility that Barak will be exposed to US pressures in Shepherdstown.