Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak
Photo: API
Syria's President Bashar Assad
Photo: Reuters
Mubarak-Assad meeting in cards
Syrian president set to meet with Egyptian leader in bid to ease tension between countries
Syrian President Bashar Assad and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak are set to meet in the coming days, in a bid to ease the tensions between the two states and recover ties following the recent war in Lebanon. The Lebanese newspaper al-Mustaqbal reported of the planned summit Tuesday, quoting an Egyptian source.
According to the same source, the leaders are expected to discuss "subjects of common interest for both sides." He added that during Egypt's Intelligence Chief Omar Suleiman's last visit to Damascus, he transferred a letter from Mubarak to Assad listing the different issues of the region.
The relations between the two countries deteriorated in wake of the war in Lebanon, in light of Assad's firm support for Hizbullah opposite Mubarak's backing of the Arab stance against the war.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's last visit to Cairo contributed to the discord, following her statement's regarding the US' intention to form an axis of moderate Arab states. Damascus regarded the plan as an attempt to isolate the Syrians in the region. It now appears that Suleiman's trip was aimed at calming the situation.
"Suleiman's visit focused on the summit, the intra-Palestinian conflict and the Syrian-Lebanese issue. He also met with Hamas politburo head Khaled Mashaal in an attempt to resolve the problems between Fatah and Hamas," the source explained.
"The Egyptian-Syrian summit would be an opportunity to bridge the differences that have clouded relations between the countries during the Israeli offensive in Lebanon. Two important issues will be discussed in the meeting: The Palestinian issue, including the current strife in the Palestinian Authority… and the relations between Syria and Lebanon and the best ways to bring about stability in the matter," he added.
The source also noted that Assad and Mubarak will likely talk about "the peace process and the renewal of the Israeli-Syrian negotiations, in light of Damascus' recent initiatives and stances. The meeting will concentrate on the role Egypt can play in such talks due to its relations with Israel and the United States."
Meanwhile, it appears that Egypt is not the only country making efforts to resume negotiations in the region. Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Moratinos has presented to the Syrians during his recent visit in Damascus a Spanish-European plan to revive the peace process in the Middle East, Diplomatic sources in Damascus told the Qatari newspaper al-Watan.
According to the report, the Syrians have agreed to act on the offer, while demanding international guarantees that the talks will lead to an Israeli withdrawal from the Golan Heights.
