US working paper and the Israeli-Syrian negotiations

The minister at the Israeli premier's office, Haim Ramon, said on Sunday that the US working paper which was crystallized in Shepherdstown talks is an important paper because it brings together points of agreement and differences between Syria and Israel.

In statements following a telephone call he made with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak on Saturday evening in Shepherdstown that were quoted by Israeli Radio on Sunday, Ramon said that the points of difference are greater than points of agreement between the two sides.

Israeli Radio added that a Syrian source at Shepherdstown described the US work paper proposed to the Syrian and Israeli delegations as an advanced step in the negotiation process aiming at reaching a formula on the points of differences between Syria and Israel so the differences can be eliminated.

For his part, the chairman of the "reaction team" in the Israeli Likud Party, Danny Naveh, called on Barak to debate at the Knesset as soon as possible the details of the US work paper, adding that this paper might be the preliminary draft for an agreement between Syria and Israel.

Naveh continued that Barak has to brief the Israelis on the progress of these important negotiations and not to impose the agreement on the withdrawal from the Golan on them as a fait accomplait.