Belin, Syria and Arafat

Member of the Israeli Knesset for the Israeli labor party Yusi Belin has stated that Israel has waited for long a successor for the Syrian President Hafez al-Assad in order to maintain a dialogue with him, " but the result is another " Assad" more solid than his father."

Belin said in a statement to the French magazine " L' express " and quoted by the Monte Carlo radio on Sunday that it will be wrong to talk about a Palestinian " negotiator " after Arafat because nobody knows whom will be this negotiator is. Belin said that at the Israeli level, he is not the best negotiator because he is weak and the hope to finding a new successor for him will add nothing to Israel.