Report: President Clinton to make special initiative towards President al-Assad

The Lebanese weekly al-Kifah al-Arabi has said that several American and Israeli sources in Washington held unanimous stances that US President Bill Clinton intends to "make a special initiative toward [Syrian] President Hafez al-Assad in order to prove his personal readiness to make all efforts for reviving bilateral talks on the Syrian-Israeli track."

In a report from Washington, the paper added that US and Israeli diplomats expressed their confidence that President Clinton will meet with President al-Assad, and denying doubts that prevailed over the possibility of such a meeting.

Moreover, several American observers, consultants and researchers in Middle East affairs indicate that the prevailing atmosphere now concerning the intention of President Clinton to convene talks in Damascus or in Geneva with President al-Assad is quite different, in that Clinton's move is made at a strong persistence by Barak.

Meanwhile, the Lebanese daily al-Safir said that well-informed sources warned against the eruption of a crisis of "confidence" between Washington and Syria unless the US president takes the initiative to make a step forward during the next two months.

Observers say that Damascus seems not to be in a hurry to send a new ambassador to the US unless it finds, from the very beginning, fruitful work for him.