Damascus did not answer three of 10 American questions on concept of peace, Lebanon and normalization

Well-informed sources in Damascus said that Syria will not offer a deposit "for free" to Israel, kept by the US administration, before Israel admits the original deposit providing for a complete Israeli withdrawal to the June 4, 1967 borders.

The sources said that the US administration addressed ten questions to Damascus, and the Syrians considered three of them as "an unanswerable" at the present, "We cannot give obligations or get into details that can be viewed as a deposit for free to the Israelis," adding this me thatans "Damascus has become subjugated to the Barak conditions towards including the lands among the elements of peace, while lands are outside negotiations for Syria."

The sources said that Syria will not accept any agreement that results in direct or indirect security or economic occupation, adding that the "Israelis know that very well," especially concerning security arrangements. They said, "There is the text in which the two sides refuse what violates sovereignty," and therefore, "The early warning stations in the Syrian territories cannot be of an Israeli identity."

In the absence of any details about the 10 questions the US administration addressed to Damascus, the Syrian sources said that the most important of these questions deals with "Syria's conception of peace" or in other words, "complete peace for complete withdrawal," while diplomatic sources believe that the remaining questions are undoubtedly linked to the opposition "Palestinian organizations" which are stationed in Damascus and are considered by Washington as "terrorist organizations," "Syria's backing to the Hizbullah Party and the grounds of this backing, which is also based with the cooperation with Iran" and other topics relating to "Lebanon, the waters, the diplomatic exchange and economic normalization."

But how if the negotiations will not be resumed?

The well-informed Syrian sources replied that, "Washington has put all its political weight to resume the negotiations during the visit of its Secretary of State Madeleine Albright who will arrive in Damascus today." But the possibility of not resuming the negotiations is still there, especially if "Barak will not admit the border of June 4, 1967 or what is called "Rabin's deposit."

The Syrian sources added concerning the Israeli withdrawal from south Lebanon which is called by Damascus a "redeployment," that, "The door has been always open for Israel to quit South Lebanon unconditionally according to UN resolution 425," adding that Israel does not want to withdraw, rather to "redeploy its forces."

The Syrian sources added that Col. Bashar al-Assad may meet with Albright today in Damascus following her meeting with President Hafez al-Assad.