Report: President al-Assad refuses Barak's appeal

The Lebanese daily al-Kifah al-Arabi said in its report from Washington that American sources stressed that Syrian President Hafez al-Assad had refused an appeal made by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak for Syria to "abide by a secret pledge that provides for preventing the acts against Israel by the Hizbullah Party in south Lebanon when talks are resumed between Syria and Israel."

The same sources asserted that President al-Assad's refusal of this appeal, which was conveyed to him via US diplomatic channels, did not undermine Barak's determination to resume talks with Syria.

The sources said this was because President al-Assad showed interest in resuming the peace negotiations, and that he refused Barak's appeal in a way that Barak accepted smoothly.

The US sources expect the beginning of autumn to be the date for resuming bilateral talks between Israel and each of Syria and Lebanon.