Assad's son to coordinate Palestinian issue with Iran, other allies

NICOSIA [MENL] -- The son and heir-apparent of Syrian President Hafez Assad is discussing preparations for the Israel peace talks with Iran and other neighbors and is expected to soon be appointed to a senior post, diplomatic sources said. Meanwhile, Iran and Syria have pledged to continue coordinating their position on the Palestinian issue.

The pledge came in a series of contacts taken over the last few days between the two countries, diplomatic sources said. More details, they said, would probably be released after the summit between Bashar Assad, the son and heir-apparent of the Syrian president, and Iranian leaders.

The visit by Bashar, the sources said, is expected imminently. But they said Bashar could be sent instead to Cairo and Riyad to help arrange a summit in Damascus over the next 10 days.

Iranian diplomats said Teheran has reassured Syria of its support of the resumption of negotiations between Damascus and Jerusalem. The message, they said, was that Iran, however, will continue to oppose reconciliation with Israel.

"We have always supported Syria's rights in its efforts to reclaim the Golan Heights," Iranian ambassador to Lebanon Mohammed Ali Sobhani said. "The Syrian position is actually part of the rights and claims by the Muslims and Arabs."

Sobhani met on Tuesday with Lebanese parliamentary vice speaker Ili Farzali in Teheran. The two men discussed bilateral relations, parliamentary cooperation and regional developments, the official Islamic Republic News Agency said.

The Iranian diplomat said Iran and Syria will continue cooperation in efforts to "liberate Jerusalem and restore the legitimate rights of the Palestinians," Irna said.

Sobhani stressed that Iran would continue to support Hizbullah and other groups in their guerrilla campaign against Israel in south Lebanon. Earlier, influential former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani said Teheran would not allow Hizbullah to fade. "Hizbollah is not just a military organisation but also a political force," Rafsanjani said.

In Teheran, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi on Wednesday condemned Israeli measures in Jerusalem. "The Islamic republic of Iran condemns any activity by the Zionist regime to Judaize the holy Quds, to destroy Islamic traces and wipe out Muslims rights," the spokesman said. "We also believe this would make the situation more critical and the region unstable."

The sources said the appointment of Bashar will probably be announced as part of a new Cabinet. Assad is expected to appointed Foreign Minister Farouk A-Shaara as prime minister. The London-based A-Sharq Al Awsat daily said on Tuesday that A-Shaara will keep his post at the Foreign Ministry.

The newspaper said the new government is expected to be announced before the start of the next round of Israeli-Syrian negotiations on Jan. 3. Syria has pledged that it will maintain an equal level of representation at the negotiations, the Israeli team of which is led by Prime Minister Ehud Barak.

During A-Shaara's illness in October and November, Bashar served as de facto foreign minister and was sent to Paris to hold talks with French President Jacques Chirac as well as visits to the Gulf states. Bashar is believed to have also been placed in charge of Syrian-Iranian relations, regarded as the most sensitive element in Syria's foreign policy.

The diplomatic sources said Bashar's key role has been trying to drum up Gulf financial support for Syria. The efforts appear to have led to results.

On Monday, Kuwait agreed to grant a loan to Syria to develop infrastructure projects. Syrian Minister of State for Planning Abdul Rahim Sbei and the director general of the Kuwaiti Fund for Arab Economic Development, Bader Hameidi, signed an accord whereby the fund will provide a loan of 6 million Kuwaiti dinars help finance a provincial highway in the north.

The Kuwaiti fund has provided Syria with 25 loans. Diplomats said Kuwait has agreed to consider financing other projects in Syria in the fields of communications, electricity and sewage.