World Watch

TAL COHEN/AFP-GETTY

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, foreground, with diplomat Shalom

Building Bridges
THE MIDDLE EAST Syrian officials last week rejected Israeli President Moshe Katsav's invitation for his Syrian counterpart, Bashar Assad, to visit Jerusalem for talks. But Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom is a traveling man. He's met repeatedly with senior Tunisian, Bahraini, and Qatari officials, as well as King Mohammed VI of Morocco and Jordan's King Abdullah. Next week, Shalom will become the first Israeli Foreign Minister to visit Jordan since the onset of the intifadeh more than three years ago. But the trip Shalom wants most of all, to Damascus, remains out of reach. Senior...

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