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The clock is ticking for Assad and his son

JERUSALEM -- Syrian President Hafez Assad is running out of time and his son and heir is incapable of maintaining power, Arab and European officials report.

The reports were culled by Israeli embassies in Europe and the Arab world and sent to the Foreign Ministry for analysis, government sources said. They will be used in government discussions on the continuation of contacts to resume negotiations with Damascus.

Jordanian officials were reported to have assessed that Assad's health is deteriorating at an alarming pace. They said the increasing inability of Assad to function is hurting stability.

The Foreign Ministry reports said Jordanian Foreign Minister Abdul Ilah Khatib told foreign diplomats that Assad's health is worse than reported. Khatib also expressed concern that Bashar will not be able to maintain stability in Syria.

European sources added that after the president's death, Bashar will be unable to rule and chaos and bloodshed will ensue. Bashar, the officials said, is regarded as a weak man and appears unable to replace Assad or command the authority required to lead Syria. They said Bashar will prove less willing to make any compromises for peace with Israel.

The sources said Assad still fears that peace with Israel will undermine his regime. Of particular concern, they said, was the prospect that the United States and the West would demand a liberalized economy and democracy as conditions for the billions of dollars in aid pledged to Damascus in the wake of a peace treaty.

Israeli government sources said the assertions by European and Arab sources appear aimed at pressuring the Jewish state to move quickly to agree to Assad's terms for a resumption of peace talks. These include immediate acceptance of full withdrawal from the Golan Heights to a line that existed on the eve of the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.

Arab diplomatic sources said Assad is concerned by the reports that he is losing his grip on power and that Bashar will be unable to succeed. They said the Syrian president plans to send Foreign Minister Farouk A-Shaara on a tour of the Middle East over the next few days.

The sources said A-Shaara will visit Riyad, Amman and other Arab capitals.