Albright expresses optimism following meeting with al-Assad
US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright on Tuesday evening described her talks with Syrian President Hafez al-Assad as very constructive.
In a press conference she held at the Damascus Sheraton hotel, Albright said, "President Clinton and I have been working for some time to re-energize the Syrian-Israeli negotiating track." She said that President al-Assad is serious about finding the most constructive way to resume these talks. She added, "I will be seeing Prime Minister Barak and I will be able to discuss with him where I believe these things stand."
She told the news conference, "I leave here feeling much more hopeful than when I arrived earlier this afternoon."
Replying to a question about former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin's deposit and whether there is an agreement that the US will announce that there is a deposit from Rabin, Albright indicated that it is better not to give details about that issue.
She said, "I came out of my meeting with President Assad and Foreign Minister Sharaa more optimistic than when I went in." On the indication on the resumption of the talks on the Syrian track in the light of her talks with President Hafez al-Assad, the US secretary of State said, "I think everyone involved in this would like to see progress as soon as possible."
On the possibility of achieving progress on the Palestinian and Syrian tracks simultaneously, Albright noted that "I have just finished speaking to President Assad. I have not yet spoken to Prime Minister Barak. That is a statement of fact without making any judgement about who is where. I think that it has been, we have thought, as I believe all the parties involved in this have thought, that it is very important to proceed on each of the tracks, according to the dynamic of the track itself, and that there should not be any artificial holding back or pressing forward."
Replying to a question on whether the term of President Bill Clinton's administration is enough to work for the Middle East peace process, Albright said that President Clinton considers working for releasing the peace in the Middle East to be one of his most important priorities. She said, "President Clinton and I will be working as hard as it is possible to get results."
She expressed her conviction that all sides concerned want to realize peace, and she expressed hope to give help in this area.
