Palestinian sources expect Arafat to visit Syria

The London- based al-Hayat daily in its Friday's issue in a report from Damascus said that Palestinian sources expected the chairman of the Palestinian Authority Yasser Arafat to visit Damascus during the two next week to meet with President Bashar al-Assad.

Al-Hayat said that two weeks before Arafat phoned the chairman of the Palestinian National Council Khaled al-Fahoum in Damascus and told him that he ( Arafat) agrees on Damascus's proposals concerning the future of relations between the two sides.

Al-Fahoum told al-Hayat that the principled proposed by Syria are: first, commitment to UN resolution 242 and 338; secondly the return back of the refugees according to UN resolution 194; thirdly; the establishment of the Palestinian state with Jerusalem as a capital and, fourthly continuation of the Palestinian uprising.

The sources explained that the palestinian- Syrian contacts resulted on agreeing a high ranking Palestinian delegation to visit Damascus to settle the disputes and release a final statement, obligatory for the two sides in preparation of Arafat's visit for Damascus.