Abu Mazen in Damascus for the first time since 17 years

The secretary of the PLO executive committee Mahmoud Abbas ( Abu Mazen) who on Sunday started a visit to Syria, which is his first since 17 years, said that he is carrying a message from the chairman of the Palestinian authority Yasser Arafat to the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

The Palestinian official said that his visit is not " private " and that he came " in the name of the Palestinian leadership," carrying a message from the "Palestinian leadership to the Syrian leadership."

The Palestinian official continued that his visit to Syria falls in the course of "coordination between the Palestinian authority and Syria." He said "we want to brief our brothers in the full image of the political conditions and want to make consultations on the future prospects." Abu Mazin ruled out that Israel will halt its policy of assassination of the leaders of the Palestinian Intifada, noting that this Israeli policy will not affect the Intifada, as far as there is an Israeli aggression against the Palestinians there will be a Palestinian resistance." Abbas is visiting Syria for the first time since 17 years ( apart from his visit to Damascus to take part in the funeral of the late Syria President Hafez al-Assad besides Yasser Arafat). Abbas is considered the engineer of the Oslo agreement which were strongly opposed by Damascus.

Meantime, the Palestinian al-Hayat al-Jadida ( new life) paper which is issued in the occupied Palestinian territories quoted Palestinian sources as saying that Syria will free several Palestinians held in Syria. The sources told the paper that number of Palestinians in the Syrian jails are 600, noting that President Bashar al-Assad will release 500 of them as an initiative of good intention from the Syrian side to improve Syrian- Palestinian relations.

The paper indicated that Abu Mazen will hold talks during his visit with the Syrian officials dealing with preparations for the forthcoming visit of Arafat to Damascus very soon.