The Syrian president Bashar Assad is not satisfied with the offer delivered by the king for the Golan issue to be mentioned at the opening and closing of the event. He wants it on the conference table as the price for Syrian attendance. Foreign minister Walid Mualem was also sent post haste to Tehran Monday, for talks with Assad’s closest ally.Nonetheless, although Washington’s concessions to Damascus contradict US pledges to prime minister Ehud Olmert and the Palestinians too have hardened their position, the Israeli cabinet meeting in Jerusalem Monday will be asked to approve the release of 450 jailed prisoners as a “gesture” for Palestinian Chairman Mahmoud Abbas.Sunday night, the Syrian and Jordanian rulers issued a joint statement supporting efforts to establish a Palestinian state with Jerusalem its capital They recognized the Abbas-led government, while calling on the Palestinians to resolve their disputes and unify ranks. They called for “a just and comprehensive solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict” based on the Arab peace initiative and international resolutions “to restore the occupied Arab territories to Palestine, Syria and Lebanon.”Thursday, the Arab League foreign ministers meet in Cairo to determine the organization’s position on the projected Middle East conference in Maryland.
http://www.debka.com/headline.php?hid=4782As in the days of Noah....