Al-Assad refuses bargaining principles on sovereignty

If the success of the summit of the US and Syrian presidents, Bill Clinton and Hafez al-Assad, is measured by declaring the resumption of negotiations between Syria and Israel, it can be said that this summit has failed.

It was clear by the end of the summit that President Clinton did not carry with him anything new that permits the revival of the talks, and therefore the summit failed to achieve a breakthrough that would have helped a nearby resumption of negotiations.

News reports in Geneva said that all formulas proposed by President Clinton are rejected by the Syrians because they violate principles on which the Syrians will not bargain, a matter which permits the conclusion that Clinton came to Geneva to take more than to give.

The spokesman for the White House, Joe Lockhart, said the gaps between the two sides are "significant" and that negotiations cannot be resumed at the present.

The spokesman for the Syrian presidency, Jubran Koreyah, accused Israel of obstructing the negotiations, while Israel said that the process of resuming negotiations has become long.

However, the Syrian circles have not considered the summit a failure.

News reports said the US side will continue its efforts and attempts, and therefore the US Middle East special envoy, Dennis Ross, will head for Israel. The reports said this means that the door will be open to the possibility of resuming the negotiations.