Arafat to visit Damascus

Palestine's representative in Amman Omar al-Khatib told the Jordanian daily al-Rai issued on Monday in Amman that preparations are now underway for the visit of the chairman of the Palestinian Authority Yasser Arafat to Damascus, stressing that this visit will be taking place very soon.

Al-Khatib said that the chairman of the PLO ( Palestine Liberation Organization) political department farouk al-Qaddoumi had met with the Syrian foreign minister Farouk al-Shara on the sideline of the meetings of the Arab follow up committee which was held in Amman during the two past days and agreed to eliminate the differences in their view points and means of backing the Palestinian Intifada.

The Palestinian representative described Syrian- Palestinian relations in this phase as in their best and that co-ordination between the two countries proceeds naturally and that the atmospheres are suitable more than any time before for maintaining inter- Arab reconciliation.

However, Arab diplomatic sources in Amman said that Arafat's expected visit to Syria will file the former file in the Syrian- Palestinian relations.

The sources expected this visit by Arafat to Damascus to be made before convening the Amman's Arab summit.