Beckoning to Assad

TIBERAS, ISRAEL: Standing on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, the leaders of Israel and Jordan looked across the waters toward Damascus and called upon Syria to reach peace with Israel. Secretary of State Warren Christopher joined Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres and Jordan's King Hussein in inviting Syrian President Hafez Assad to seize what Peres called "the galloping prospect of peace." Christopher on Friday will travel to Damascus to try to persuade Assad to follow Hussein and reach a peace agreement with Israel. "Hussein's visit, his first since Yitzhak Rabin's funeral, is seen by the local commentators as sending a clear message to Assad to join in the increasing warming of Israel's relationships with its Arab neighbors," Dean Fischer reports from Jerusalem. The Syrian president may want in. With the demise of its former patron the Soviet Union, and Israel's ongoing rapprochement with neighboring Arab states, Syria finds itself increasingly isolated, and normalizing relations could prove a tremendous boost for the economy. As for the Israelis, Fischer notes, "A majority of Israelis think that, with the proper guarantees, the deal can benefit Israel. The Golan would be demilitarized, patrolled by a peacekeeping force, spearheaded by about 3,000 American troops helping to ensure the Syrians behave. This should be enough to mollify most Israelis."