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Al-Ahram Weekly 24 - 30 June 1999 Issue No. 435 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 24 - 30 June 1999 Issue No. 435
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Profile Features Interview Travel Sports Time Out Chronicles People Cartoons Letters Peace mail
SYRIAN President Hafez Al-Assad, in his first public comments on Israel's new leader, described Prime Minister-elect Ehud Barak, in remarks published yesterday, as "an honest man who could deliver peace with Syria".Barak, in turn, voiced his respect for Al-Assad and for Syria to the veteran Syrian leader's British biographer, Patrick Seale, who travelled to Tel Aviv and Damascus to interview the two men for the London-based Arabic-language daily Al-Hayat.
Al-Assad said of Barak: "I have followed his career and his statements. He seems to be a strong and honest man. As the election results show, he evidently has wide support. It is clear that he wants to achieve peace with Syria. He is moving forward at a well-studied pace."
Barak said of Al-Assad: "His legacy is a strong, independent, self-confident Syria -- a Syria which, I believe, is very important for the stability of the Middle East."
Using a phrase frequently cited by Al-Assad, Barak said: "I am truly excited to see if there is a possibility of concluding a 'Peace of the Brave' with Syria." He added that "the only way to build a stable, comprehensive peace in the Middle East is through an agreement with Syria. That is the keystone of peace."
Racist attack
AN ARAB legislator has accused Israeli police of racism, saying they knowingly shot and wounded a fellow Arab lawmaker during demonstrations near Tel Aviv on Monday.
Police firing rubber-coated bullets wounded Azmi Bishara, an Arab member of the Knesset, and seven other Israeli Arabs in clashes with stone-throwers in the town of Lod near Tel Aviv's Ben-Gurion Airport. Bishara's shoulder wound was not serious.
Issam Mahoul, another Arab Knesset member, said the shooting was "an attempt to attack, to quash the thinking of an Arab legislator". Bishara this year became the first Arab to campaign for the Israeli premiership but withdrew before the vote.
The Lod violence erupted after police demolished an Arab-owned house that officials said was built without a permit.
