Preliminary peace contacts on the Syrian track

Western diplomatic sources in Washington told the London-based al-Hayat daily that American figures are currently making preliminary contacts with Syrian President Hafez al-Assad and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak in order to bring viewpoints closer between Syria and Israel on the eve of the arrival of US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright to the region at the beginning of next month.

The same sources expected that the US role on the Syrian - Israeli track will be on a high level that exceeds the role of US Middle East peace process coordinator Dennis Ross and the official in charge of the Middle East affairs at the US State Department, Martin Indyk. The sources said that negotiations will be concentrated on a high level and might be on the level of the Syrian and Israeli foreign ministers, Farouk al-Sharaa and David Levy.

The sources added that the "US conception of the Syrian track" is based on the following stages:

First: making contacts via the US embassies in Damascus and Tel Aviv and meetings between US figures with President al-Assad and Barak to bring their views closer together toward the conditions to return to the negotiating table;

Second: a visit by Albright to the two countries and announcing positive results that will be most probably conducive to the return of the two delegations to a meeting in Washington and not in another country;

Third: Preparation for a visit by al-Sharaa to Washington in October on the sidelines of the meeting of the UN General Assembly, and the US side will try then to convene a meeting between al-Sharaa and Levy or Barak, if Barak represents Israel to the General Assembly;

Fourth: Achieving progress that will push the American side to convene more Syrian-Israeli meetings that will be able to reach good results.

All these steps are to be taken prior to the US elections in November 2000.

Meanwhile, diplomatic sources in Damascus told al-Hayat that Republican Senator Arlen Specter will visit Syria and Israel on August 20 to hold talks with Syrian officials pertaining to the peace process.