Meeting with Abdul Halim Khaddam from Syria – White House Statement issued after the President’s meeting with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs on April 22, 1977
President Carter and President Assad of the Syrian Arab Republic agreed to meet in Geneva on May 9. The presidents look forward to their first meeting. They will discuss ways to enhance the cause of a just and lasting peace in the Middle East. The leaders’ meeting will provide an opportunity to strengthen the growing friendship between the United States and the Syrian Arab Republic.
The President met today with the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Syria, Abdul Halim Khaddam, in the White House office for 45 minutes. The President was accompanied by Secretary of State Vance, Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs Zbigniew Brzezinski, Assistant Secretary of State Alfred Atherton, Ambassador to Syria Richard Murphy, and National Security Council staff member William Quandt from the U.S. side. Minister Khaddam was accompanied by Ambassador to the United States Sabah Qabbani and Private Secretary Abdul Salam Aqeel from the Syrian side. The two translators were Samih Abu Fares from the Syrian side and Issa Sabagh from the U.S. side.
The President expressed his pleasure at this opportunity to meet with the minister and discuss the meeting he will have on May 9 with President Assad. The President discussed with the minister, who actively participates in ongoing efforts to find a settlement for peace in the Middle East, the status of those efforts and discussed with him the key issues that need to be resolved. The President emphasized the importance of Syria’s participation in these efforts and stated that he looks forward to discussing them in depth with President Assad. He reaffirmed his determination to make a major effort to help the parties reach a comprehensive settlement of the Arab-Israeli conflict.
The President and the minister discussed the continued improvement of Syrian-American relations. The President affirmed that these positive relations serve not only the interests of both peoples but also the cause of peace in the Middle East that they seek to achieve. The President asked the minister to convey to President Assad his sincere conviction that their upcoming meeting will contribute to advancing these peace efforts.
Jimmy Carter, meeting with Abdul Halim Khaddam from Syria – White House Statement issued after the President’s meeting with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project.
