On Syria's membership at the UN Security Council

The Saudi daily al-Watan has stressed that the Israeli government is seeking by all means to push the American administration to take a stand against Syria's assuming a membership at the UN Security Council, as a representative for the Asian bloc for two years, noting that Washington refuses to be subjected to these pressures.

The paper quoted well-informed American circles that Israel tries to invest the US continuing listing of Syria among terrorism- sponsoring states in order to push it to oppose Syria membership despite Israel's confidence that no chances for the success of these pressures.

The circles explained that the US has truly realized Syria's main role in the ME peace process as well as her weight in any alliance or position it intends to take towards Iraq in collaboration with other Arab states.

These circles added that the Israeli officials have also this conviction, despite the fact that many of them support the conception that Israeli will launch a media campaign against Syria in which it will stress its objection for Syria to play any important role at the UN Security Council.

According to the paper, circles of the Israeli prime minister admit that there is no prospect for reviving the negotiations on the Syrian track in the current phase, especially under the support voiced by the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to the Palestinian Intifada especially during the Amman summit.