Barak rules out attaining a progress on the Syrian track during his visit to Washington

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak has reduced the "ceiling of expectations" concerning the results of his talks in Washington with US President Bill Clinton scheduled for tomorrow. He ruled out the possibility of attaining progress on the Syrian track following these talks, on the ground of his position concerning commitment to Middle East peace principles.

In the meeting of his Cabinet held on Sunday and quoted by Israeli radio, Barak said he does not expect progress in the efforts to revive the Syrian track in the peace process, adding that there are international efforts to achieve such progress.

Barak told his ministers that his talks with Washington will concentrate on the negotiations between his government and the Palestinian government concerning the framework agreement on the current negotiations currently taking place at Bolling Air Force Base near Washington.