Syrian Vice President Abdul Halim Khaddam and Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa resumed their Gulf tour after being received yesterday by Syrian President Hafez al-Assad in his first official public activity since undergoing surgery on January 6. They arrived in Abu Dhabi, where they delivered a message from President Assad to the President of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, concerning developments in the peace process.
The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported that during the meeting, President Assad listened to a report on the results of the Syrian delegation’s visit (which included Khaddam and al-Sharaa) to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. It added that he “expressed his satisfaction with the results and instructed them to continue their mission in other brotherly Arab countries.”
Khaddam and al-Sharaa had visited Saudi Arabia and Kuwait on Sunday and Monday, delivering messages from President Assad to Saudi King Fahd bin Abdulaziz and Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah. Damascus stated that these messages addressed “efforts to advance the peace process.” A Syrian diplomatic source in Abu Dhabi said, “Khaddam and al-Sharaa’s visit to the UAE is part of a tour of the Gulf Arab states to inform the leaders of these countries about the Syrian position and Damascus’s desire to achieve a comprehensive peace in the Middle East.”
Sheikh Zayed received Khaddam and al-Sharaa last night and received a message from President Assad, which SANA reported “pertains to Arab affairs, developments in the peace process, and issues of interest to the two brotherly countries.” The meeting was attended by Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed, Chief of Staff Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Planning Department Head Sheikh Saeed bin Zayed, Presidential Office Chief Sheikh Surour bin Mohammed, and Syrian Ambassador to Abu Dhabi Mustafa Omran.
Upon their arrival at Abu Dhabi airport, Khaddam and al-Sharaa were welcomed by Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed, Minister of Information Khalfan al-Roumi, Minister of Youth Faisal Khalid al-Qasimi, and Minister of Planning Hamid Rashid al-Mualla.
In statements to journalists at Abu Dhabi airport, Khaddam said, “Given the current circumstances facing the Arab nation and the difficulties surrounding it from all sides, it is essential to communicate with Arab brothers to discuss the general Arab situation and how to confront the dangers facing Arabs. Additionally, we discussed the latest developments in the Arab-Israeli conflict and Syria’s position on these issues, and explained the Israeli intransigence that has led to the stalling of the peace process.”
In response to a question about his assessment of Arab developments regarding the peace process, Khaddam said, “We hope that everyone recognizes the dangers posed by the Zionist movement’s policy aimed at dominating the land and the Arab homeland.” He added, “So far, we have not noticed any change in the Israeli government’s policy. The statements they make in private and public indicate that they want both peace and the land, and naturally, it is impossible to combine aggression and retaining the land with peace.”
He expressed his hope that “all Arab brothers see this picture and that we all work together to implement the decisions of the Arab summits, especially the decisions of the last Arab summit.”
In response to a question about the possibility of holding a new Arab summit, he said, “When an Arab summit is convened, there should be discussions and preparations in advance among the Arab parties so that when this summit is held, it yields the desired results.” He referred to the Cairo summit held last year and said, “When the necessity arises to hold a new summit, we are confident that all Arab parties will contribute to its convening.”
Regarding his recent visit to Tehran and whether the issue of the three Gulf islands was discussed, he said: “The visit to Tehran was to discuss various situations in the region. There is a high-level joint committee between Syria and Iran that meets periodically to discuss different issues. The situation between the UAE and Iran was discussed, and our brothers in the UAE know our perspective, and our friends in Tehran know our perspective.”
After the UAE, the Syrian officials will visit Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, and Yemen.
In statements to television after the meeting, Khaddam said that they “reviewed the Arab situation from its various aspects” and explained to Sheikh Zayed “the developments in the peace process following the formation of the new Israeli government and its intransigent policy of refusing to commit to the peace references and to resume negotiations from the point where they left off.” He pointed out that in the previous stage of negotiations, two main issues were reached: the first is the withdrawal to the lines of June 4, 1967, meaning from all the Syrian territories occupied in 1967, and the second is the agreement on principles of security arrangements.” He added that he emphasized “that Syria is committed to the peace process on one hand, and insists that the resumption of negotiations should start from the point where they stopped, on the other hand, with the Israeli side accepting the agreements reached with the previous Israeli government.”
Sheikh Zayed announced, “The UAE supports Syria in its position and endorses this stance.”
In response to a question about the connection between his Gulf tour and the pressures being exerted on Syria, he said: “Syria has not been subjected to pressure from any party because everyone understands that it is a country that does not accept being pressured, especially when it comes to land or dignity.”
In response to a question about “the Israeli claims that are occasionally made about an imminent breakthrough to resume peace negotiations,” he replied, “So far, there is no indication of this. This Israeli campaign is part of a misleading effort to influence global public opinion. If the Israeli government is serious about resuming negotiations, it should announce that it is committed to resuming the negotiations from the point where they stopped and to all the agreements reached with Rabin’s government.”
