Refugee "Time bomb"
Beirut's RADIO LEBANON 11/9/99: "Prime Minister Salim al-Huss has
welcomed French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine's remark that it
is not possible to attain an Israeli-Syrian-Lebanese political
settlement without also tackling the Palestinian refugee issue.
While thanking France for its interest in Lebanon and its
willingness to help resume the peace negotiations, al-Huss
pointed out that an acceptable solution for the Palestinian
refugees' problem in Lebanon and elsewhere lies in their return
to their country because the persistence of their problem will
be a time bomb that can undermine any possible peace with
Israel."
Ehud's "Peace of the brave"
AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE 11/8/99: "The Israeli prime minister, Ehud
Baraq, repeated on Monday [8th November] that "time had now come
for a peace of the brave" with Syria, saying that he was
"certain" that it was a "historical opportunity". Mr Baraq was
speaking at a press briefing held jointly with his French
counterpart, Lionel Jospin, following a one-hour meeting between
the two men.
He described President Hafiz Al-Asad as a "strong and serious"
leader who "built modern Syria with his own hands."
"I am convinced that we will be able to end this conflict and
reach an agreement between Israel and Syria," he said without
mentioning a timetable.
Regarding Lebanon, Mr Baraq recalled
that he gave Israeli voters assurances that he would "end the
tragedy" in Lebanon, confirming his intention to complete the
withdrawal of Israeli forces by next July. "I am convinced that
this is possible and that this is certainly not a time-bomb," he
said..."
"Good barriers make good neighbors"
AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE 11/9/99: "The Israeli prime minister, Ehud
Baraq, addressing the 21st Congress of the Socialist
International in Paris on Tuesday [9th November], said that "the
separation from the Palestinians, which we want, is only
political, as good barriers make good neighbours." Speaking at
the opening of the second day of the congress, the Israeli
leader, who was not standing far from the chairman of the
Palestinian National Authority, Yasir Arafat, added, however,
that this did not mean a "disengagement" from Palestinian
territories on the part of Israel.
He explained that "on the
contrary, economic cooperation between us (Israelis and
Palestinians) must and will continue." "Together, separation and
cooperation are essential for peace," added Mr Baraq. He also
launched an appeal to the Syrian president, Hafiz al-Asad, "a
courageous and resolute leader who built modern Syria," telling
him "the opportunity for a peace of the brave exists, one does
not know for how long." ...
Lebanese confusion
Beirut's RADIO LEBANON 11/9/99: "Chamber of Deputies Speaker
Nabih Birri has stated that it is likely that the Israeli
occupation forces will carry out a unilateral withdrawal from
south Lebanon without prior agreement with Lebanon and Syria
with the aim of creating confusion on the domestic Lebanese
front and restoring the conditions that existed in Lebanon
before 1969. Birri added: I believe that the Americans do not
favor this kind of Israeli withdrawal because it is not
beneficial to the peace process. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud
Baraq had earlier said that he might withdraw his army from
occupied Lebanese territory before July 2000."
China/Israel AWACS
Hong Kong's MING PAO 11/5/99: "China's first AWACS aircraft will
be delivered as scheduled to the Air Force for use at the end of
this year. An IL-76 transportation plane will be used as an
aerial platform to install this airborne warning and control
system provided by the Israeli Aeronautical Industrial
Corporation to the Chinese Air Force at the price of $250
million.
An informed source said that a company affiliated with
the Israeli Aeronautical Industrial Corporation responsible for
modification of AWACS aircraft developed this new-type early
warning radar system for the Chinese Air Force. This radar
system has been developed from the corporation's PhalCon [as
published] aerial early warning radar system.
In the past the
corporation provided the Chilean Air Force with an early warning
aircraft equipped with the PhalCon radar system. Therefore it has
gained much experience in this respect and has further improved
the system.
As learned, the Russian military industrial system also assisted
the Chinese Air Force in manufacturing this AWACS aircraft. A
Russian company named Betieu [as published] was responsible for
installing a radome similar to the one mounted on the Russian
Air Force's A-50 AWACS aircraft.
Unlike the traditional
round-shape rotary radome, the Chinese Air Force's AWACS
aircraft uses a stationary radome internally equipped with a
triangular phased-array radar antenna, to obtain 360-degree
omnidirectional radar detection coverage.
Apart from this radar
system, the IL-76 AWACS aircraft will be equipped with
electronic countermeasure and electronic reconnaissance devices
similar to those provided for the Chilean Air Force's AWACS
aircraft by the Israeli Aeronautical Industrial Corporation.
China originally planned to use $1 billion to purchase four AWACS
aircraft of the same type from Israel, but it can only buy one
for now due to financial problems. The delivery date has been
postponed from the end of 1997 to the end of 1999.
The
transaction for the remaining three has been put off
temporarily. But another source claims that China intends to move
up the purchase of the remaining three aircraft because of
recent tension in the Taiwan Strait."
Clinton & Syria's Hafez
London's AL SHARQ AL AWSAT 11/6/99: "An Arab diplomat, who
visited London two days ago, has said that US President Bill
Clinton plans to undertake what the diplomat termed "a last
attempt by the US Administration to reactivate the talks on the
Syrian track" through a meeting which the US President hopes to
hold with Syrian President Hafiz al-Asad. The diplomat expected
the meeting to take place between 20 and 25 November in a
European city, "which is believed to be Geneva in Switzerland."
Al-Sharq al-Awsat has learned from the well-informed diplomat
that contacts were held this week between Washington and
Damascus with the view to reviving the stalled talks between
Israel and Syria and that "the US President went so far as to
say that he is ready to meet with Al-Asad even in Damascus
itself."
The Arab diplomat revealed that the US President also
plans a new meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Baraq for
the same purpose. This meeting, the diplomat said, will take
place "during a tour which the US President will make of several
European states between 13 and 23 November to attend a security
conference by the European Union and its partners on 18 and 19
November, which will also be attended by Baraq."
"The President
will then go to Damascus or Geneva, depending on the place which
will be agreed upon by the two sides next week, to hold the
summit," according to the diplomat, who is now moving between
Europe and the United States "on a mission which is not linked
to the projected summit." ...
Syria & Iran
London's AL SHARQ AL AWSAT 11/8/99: "Syrian Information Minister
Dr. Muhammad Salman has described relations between Damascus and
Tehran as "strategic." In an intellectual-political seminar on
the 100th anniversary [as published] of Imam Khomeyni, which
turned into a rally of support for Syria, he emphasized that "we
will not abandon a single inch of our land."
The seminar was
attended by Lebanese Hizballah Secretary General Hasan
Nasrallah; Dr. Ramadan 'Abdallah Shallah, secretary general of
the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine; and representatives of
a number of Palestinian factions.
While Syrian newspapers
yesterday pointed in their editorials to "the United States'
inability to play an impartial, objective, and balanced role"
[in the peace process], they urged the reactivation of the
European-French role."
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