Secretary of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen), arrived here today from Jordan by land for his first visit in 15 years.
Talal Naji, the Assistant Secretary General of the Popular Front General Command, informed reporters that Abbas’s visit to Damascus is primarily aimed at improving Syrian-Palestinian relations and does not involve making arrangements for Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat’s visit, as previously mentioned.
Naji added that during this special visit, Abbas will meet with Syrian Vice President Abdel Halim Khaddam to discuss the latest developments in the Palestinian territories, the ongoing intensive diplomatic activities, and exchange views and ideas on these matters.
Responding to inquiries about Arafat’s visit to Damascus, Naji stated that after Arafat’s meeting with President Bashar Al-Assad on the sidelines of the Amman summit last March, Arafat had requested a brief visit to Syria on multiple occasions. However, Damascus does not see the benefit of such short visits as there are numerous issues that require discussion and substantial time.
Naji further mentioned that the Syrian leadership believes that Arafat’s visit should be preceded by high-level Syrian-Palestinian meetings to address all the pertinent issues that will be discussed between Assad and Arafat.
Abbas, one of the leaders of the Fatah movement, left Damascus in the mid-1980s following Syria’s endorsement of an uprising carried out by Fatah leaders led by Abu Musa against Arafat. Arafat had become undesirable in the Syrian capital since 1983, and he was held responsible for the Tripoli war in northern Lebanon between his loyalists and opposition factions.
According to Palestinian sources, Abbas will also meet with several leaders and secretaries of Palestinian opposition factions present in the capital Damascus to discuss the latest developments in the Palestinian arena.
