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Syria expected to demand same U.S. aid as Egypt

Special to World Tribune.com
MIDDLE EAST NEWSLINE
Thursday, January 6, 2000

WASHINGTON [MENL] -- Syria is expected to demand the same level of civilian and military aid from the United States as Egypt as part of Damascus's peace agreement with Israel, diplomatic sources said on Wednesday.

Israel has already signalled that it will not object to military aid to Syria, the sources said.

The sources said over the last few days U.S. officials have discussed the issue with their Israeli counterparts. The U.S. officials were quoted as saying that the Clinton administration expects a formal Syrian request for both billions of dollars worth of economic aid and advanced weapons.

Egypt currently receives about $1.3 billion in military aid and less than $800 million in economic assistance. The sources said White House officials have pledged to Syria that Damascus will receive both economic and military assistance.

At a briefing, however, State Department spokesman James Rubin would not discuss the issue, saying it was premature. He said he was not told that the aid issue was a Syrian demand for resumption of the stalled negotiations.

"I am not aware of any preliminary conditions put in place by the Syrians of financial or military aid," Rubin said. "I would urge you not to assume that every peace agreement is the same, that every country is the same. Egypt and Syria are different countries."

Rubin said any source that asserted that the United States agreed to a Syrian request for economic and military assistance to ensure the resumption of negotiations has "zero credibility." But he did not rule out U.S. military aid to Syria.

On Wednesday, the Jerusalem Post said the United States will offer Israel a defense pact in the wake of a peace treaty with Syria. But Israeli sources later said Barak has not yet agreed to this. Instead, they said, Clinton has pledged to raise the level of strategic cooperation between Jerusalem and Washington.

The sources said this would include cooperation in space and missile defense.

On Thursday, Defense Ministry director-general Amos Yaron is scheduled to fly to Washington to resume talks with Clinton administration officials on Israel's request for new weapons. Israeli sources said this would include Tomahawk cruise missiles and Apache attack helicopters.

Thursday, January 6, 2000

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