Coordination between Amman and Damascus on eve of Jordanian - Israeli summit

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak will arrive in the Jordanian city of Aqaba, amid Jordanian optimism over his inclination towards reviving the peace process on all Arab-Israeli tracks.

Jordanian Information Minister Nasser Lawzi told journalists in Amman on Sunday that King Abdullah will "discuss with Barak prospects of the stumbled Middle East peace process under the sure desire on all sides concerned to reset the Middle East peace process into its right track so as to ensure security and peace in the region."

The Jordanian minister expressed his hope that "positive results will be attained from this visit."

Last May, Barak visited Amman during his election campaign and Jordan welcomed the election of Barak on May 17, following "two years of cool relations with his predecessor Benjamin Netanyahu who was behind many crises between Jordan and Israel."

Concerning the Lebanese - Syrian tracks, the Jordanian side backs resuming negotiations according to the terms of reference agreed upon during the Madrid peace conference in 1991 to achieve a complete Israeli withdrawal from South Lebanon, the western Bekaa and the Syrian Golan Heights.

The Jordanian official news agency, Petra, said on Saturday, "President Hafez al-Assad made a telephone call with King Abdullah during which they discussed means of resuming the Middle East peace process on all tracks on the ground of principles on the basis of which the Middle East peace process was initiated and on trading land for peace."

The Jordanian news agency added that King Abdullah stressed to President al-Assad Jordan's stand in backing Syria and Lebanon in their attempts to restore their territories so as to achieve a just and comprehensive peace in the region.

Last week, Israeli and Jordanian papers said Jordan is making efforts to bring together Syria and Israel before the convening of negotiations between the two sides.