Syria, Egypt in talks for West Asia peace

Syria, Egypt in talks for West Asia peace
Agence France Presse

CAIRO, DECEMBER 30: Syrian Foreign Minister Faruq al-Shara began talks here Thursday with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak about Syria's renewed peace negotiations with Israel. Shara met with Mubarak, his top advisor Ussama al-Baz and Egyptian Foreign Minister Amr Mussa at the presidential palace in northern Cairo.

The Syrian-Israeli talks are set to continue January 3 near Washington. Shara's visit comes one day after Mubarak met here with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat who said the Palestinians would benefit from any progress in Israel's peace talks with Syria and Lebanon.

``Any progress on the Syrian track of the peace process will be in favor of other tracks,'' Arafat said Wednesday. ``That's why we welcome any progress on the Syrian and Lebanese tracks.'' Palestinians have expressed concern that Syria's decision to resume peace talks with Israel after a suspension of almost four years could come at the expense of the Palestinians. Egypt has played a key role in trying to bridge differences between the Israelis and Palestinians, and now hopes to support the revived Israel-Syrian track by coordinating the Arab position.

Egyptian and Syrian relations had been chilly for several months after Syria rejected Egyptian plans for an Arab summit because it was unwilling to attend alongside Arafat. Damascus is critical of Arafat for concluding separate agreements with Israel on Palestinian autonomy, saying all Arabs should stand together. Egypt in 1979 became the first Arab country to sign a peace accord with Israel and maintains close relations with Arafat.

Meanwhile, Israeli President Ezer Weizman said in remarks published Thursday he would resign if Israelis vote no in a referendum on a return of the occupied Golan Heights in a peace deal with Syria." If there is a referendum to approve a peace accord with Syria and the people do not approve it I will resign my post the next day and quit the presidency," Weizman said in an interview with the Maariv newspaper."

Right-wingers have accused Weizman, whose role is largely symbolic, of exceeding his prerogatives in intervening in a political debate.