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Al Sharaa: Al Assad Happy About Call With Arafat
Ibrahim Humeidi Al-Hayat 2003/09/17
Damascus
Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk Al Sharaa welcomed the visit of "any Palestinian official representing President Yasser Arafat," as he pointed out that President Bashar Al Assad was "pleased" about the phone call between Arafat and Al Sharaa two days ago.
Answering Al-Hayat's question as to what steps would Damascus be taking next regarding Palestinian President Arafat, Al Sharaa replied, during a press conference he held with Europe's Foreign Affairs Commissioner Chris Patten: "I informed President Al Assad of the conversation I had with Arafat, and (Al Assad) was pleased with it."
He added that the positive Syrian steps towards the Palestinian President "started before, at the Security Council, when more than 30 official representatives spoke (two days ago) in defense of the Palestinian cause and in support of President Arafat before the Israeli pressure and repeated attempts to expel him from his country Palestine. Syria was the first Arab country to take the initiative of addressing the issue to the Security Council. Hence, he said that this step was adequate and extremely important. A resolution was supposed to be issued after the Security Council discussions, but the U.S. representative wanted to wait to consult his minister.
Regarding the possibility of a delegation representing Arafat to visit Damascus, Sharaa said: "Damascus is open to all brothers from the groups or others. We welcome any Palestinian official at any time as long as the goal is to look towards Palestinian national unity as a general basis for facing the current challenges." The objective of implementing a just and comprehensive peace returns the rights to their just owners. When asked about Europe's decision to enlist the political wing of Hamas on its terrorist list, Patten replied that it is difficult to accept organizations that kill civilians one day and then speak of peace the second day, indicating that there was a European unanimity over the notion that violence is an obstacle to the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Al Assad received Patten for 80 minutes, during which they discussed the current situation in Iraq, the Palestinian territories and the relations between Europe and Syria. He said that the European and Syrian parties both reached the "beginning of the end of the game" regarding the ratification of a partnership agreement, which includes liberalizing the movement of goods and strengthening political dialogue. He confirmed the presence of "a political will" among both parties in achieving positive results and eliminating all obstacles, during the 11th session scheduled for next October.