Syrian Vice President Abdul Halim Khaddam strongly denied today that there are any secret talks between his country and Israel scheduled to take place in the Egyptian resort of Sharm El Sheikh next month. Khaddam, who was responding to journalists’ questions after his meeting with an Iraqi delegation that evening, stated that the rumors about secret talks between Syria and Israel in Sharm El Sheikh next month are “completely untrue, without doubt or substance.” Khaddam also denied any Syrian agreement on a referendum regarding the West Bank of Lake Tiberias, saying that such statements are not true, neither now nor in the future.
When asked about Syria’s stance on statements made by British Prime Minister Tony Blair and U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell regarding Syria, Khaddam said that Blair and Powell can say whatever they want, and Syria’s position is clear on all the issues at hand. He emphasized that Syria’s positions are based on our national interests and on the interests of security and stability in the region. He added, “Everyone should look at what is happening in Palestine and what Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is doing. The problem is not with the Arabs but with the Israelis. We have previously stated clearly that negotiations should resume from where they left off, and returning to square one means the negotiations will be obstructed, and it will take another twenty years to reach a tangible result.” He also stressed that the Americans are fully aware of where the Syrian track of negotiations had reached, and that all the relevant documents are in their possession.
