Syria Backs Saudi Middle East Plan

The Middle East peace proposal put forward by Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Abdullah gained significant momentum yesterday when Syria gave its backing to the land-for-peace plan, according to the official Saudi press agency.

It quoted a Saudi official as saying that talks yesterday between Crown Prince Abdullah and the Syrian leader, Bashar al-Assad, had been "positive and successful". However, no Syrian statement on the talks was immediately available.

"Talks centred on the views proposed by... the crown prince on peacemaking and President al-Assad expressed the approval and backing of his country for these views, which aim at reaching a just and comprehensive solution to the conflict in the region," the Saudi official told the agency.

The US and Israel have both expressed interest in the Saudi plan, which would exchange Arab recognition and territorial guarantees for Israel's withdrawal from the West Bank and Gaza to allow the establishment of a Palestinian state.

President Mubarak of Egypt, who held talks with President Bush yesterday in part to discuss the plan, said that the Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, had telephoned him soon after the Saudi proposal last month to ask the Egyptian leader to set up a meeting with Crown Prince Abdullah. According to President Mubarak, the crown prince refused to meet until further progress had been made.

Syria and Israel came close to their own land-for-peace agreement at talks in 1995 and 1996.