Egyptian - Syrian summit on tap, sources say

According to well-informed sources in Cairo, contacts are currently being made between Cairo and Damascus to convene an Egyptian-Syrian summit in Cairo during which Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak will discuss with Syrian President Hafez al-Assad the situation in the region in light of the results of the Israeli elections.

Egyptian diplomatic sources abstained from defining the date for the summit and confined to saying it will be convened shortly in the course of consultations and continued coordination between Cairo and Damascus.

The sources expected a revival on the Syrian - Lebanese peace tracks if Ehud Barak wins the elections for Israeli prime minister, which he has. The sources said that, "Progress in the peace process is linked to Barak's ability to convince the Israelis of complete withdrawal from the Golan and south Lebanon."

The Egyptian diplomatic sources noted that the former Israeli Labor government, during its negotiations with Syria, suspended since three years ago, "was about to complete the formulation of a peace agreement," adding that the remaining agreements were only related to security arrangements.

The most recent Egyptian-Syrian summit, which was convened in Damascus, goes back to the beginning of this year, during which President Mubarak made mediation between Syria and Turkey.

It is expected, according to political circles in Cairo, that the summit between the two presidents will deal with the results of the talks Iranian President Muhammad Khatami held in Damascus and the results of Egyptian contacts with the US administration over the Middle East peace process following the Israeli elections.