Arafat welcomes Israeli - Syrian peace talks

Palestinian President Yasser Arafat welcomed the resumption of Israeli - Syrian peace talks, saying that it will not affect the Palestinian - Israeli negotiating track and adding that there is no contradiction between the Palestinian and Syrian tracks.

He also added that any progress on the Syrian track comes for the good of the other tracks, therefore he welcomed any progress on the Syrian and Lebanese tracks.

Palestinian Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Nabil Shaath said Arafat will visit Washington in the second half of January to meet with US President Bill Clinton.