DAMASCUS, 27 August — Syrian President Bashar Assad has said that Palestinian President Yasser Arafat is welcome to visit his country. “We will welcome him any time he wants to come here,” Bashar told Asharq Al-Awsat, a sister publication of Arab News.
The Palestinian leader is scheduled to visit Damascus on Sept. 12-13 on his first official visit in 14 years, signaling a possible end to years of division over how to achieve Middle East peace.
Bashar prefers to have talks between the two sides at the official level before the two presidents meet. However, Palestinian Planning and International Cooperation Minister Nabil Shaath told reporters a date had already been reached during talks with Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk Shara.
“The meeting was very positive. We agreed on a date for the visit on Sept. 12-13,” Shaath said.
Asked what Syria wanted from Arafat, Bashar said: “We want the same as what the Palestinians want: comprehensive and just peace, the return of occupied Arab land, the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, and the return of refugees.”
Asked whether Damascus still maintains its opposition to the Oslo Agreement, the Syrian president replied succinctly that the Oslo Agreement “no longer exists.”
Bashar’s assessment of Sharon is more nuanced than that of many other Arab leaders. “He is better than others. He supports and carries out terrorism while his predecessors talked peace and carried out terrorism. The claim of seeking peace had given Israel international legitimacy. But Sharon, by using terrorism, has removed that hypocrisy ,” the Syrian president said.
