Barak denies asking to participate in Geneva summit

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak commented on Wednesday on news issued earlier in the day that Barak asked to take part in the Geneva meeting between Syrian President Hafez al-Assad and US President Bill Clinton, stressing that Barak did not ask to participate.

Israeli Radio quoted sources at Barak's office as saying that the date for resuming negotiations between Israel and Syria is not a clear date and in case these negotiations are resumed the negotiations the process will not be easy due to the gap existing between the two sides.

Meanwhile, the Orient Radio commented on Wednesday on the meeting to be held on Sunday by Presidents al-Assad and Clinton saying that President Clinton has partially succeeded in convincing Barak to have his stipulation logic and acceptable in order to resume negotiations with Syria and that unless that is a success, Clinton will not run the risk of the adventure of the meeting with President al-Assad because he knows more than others what the failure of Geneva summit means.

The radio report said the failure of the Geneva summit means the end of hope for Clinton to enter history as a peacemaker.