Report: Barak to give up asking for early warning station in the Golan

The Kuwaiti daily al-Rai al-Am quoted high-ranking Israeli officials as saying that Israeli Prime Minsiter Ehud Barak is studying the possibility of giving up his stipulation of an Israeli presence in an early warning station in the Golan, following the signing of a peace agreement with Syria.

The sources said that Barak is inclined to give up this stipulation which was presented before the Syrians. However, the leadership of the Israeli Army opposes giving up the Israeli presence at the early warning station.

The sources added that Barak at the present is studying other possibilities for meeting the Syrian demands in several areas in the framework of the intensive efforts he is making to bring the Syrians back to the negotiating table.

The sources stressed that Barak believes that if the Syrians show flexibility, President al-Assad will send his negotiators to the talks.

The sources stated that negotiations with Syria are being held on two tracks: by the US administration and through Arab and European figures that convey messages and try to have an impact on the two (Syrian and Israeli) sides to smooth their stances.

The sources indicated that the first step in smoothing positions is Barak's recognition of Rabin's deposit and his attempts to obtain a Syrian consent that the borders will pass just hundreds of meters from Tabaraya lake, and then Barak will be ready to say clearly that Israel is ready to return to the June 4, 1967 border line, at a time when the Syrians are persistent to be only ten meters from Tabaraya.