Syrian President Hafez Assad is about to embark on direct peace talks with Israel without prior consultation with the Palestinians, according to sources in Damascus. Assad had always insisted that talks with Israel must take place in close coordination with other Arab states. The sources’ comments come amid reports in Israel that Prime Minister-elect Ehud Barak has devised a plan for concluding a peace agreement with Syria that involves Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon and the Golan Heights in exchange for security arrangements with Damascus.
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