SYRIA-ISRAEL page 59

$279* 16az•

OR BUY FOR

$0 DOWN
LEASE
FROM
$347*

LUXURY PACKAGE

1993 PARK AVENUE

PREMIUM PACKAGE

*36 AND "30 mo. based on approved credit. 1st mo. pymt. and security deposit (sec. dep. rounded to nearest $25 increment over monthly payment,)
Park Avenue 12,000/yr with 150 per mile over, Roadmaster & Regal 15,000/yr with 100 over at lease end. To get total of payments, multiply payment
by 36 or 60. Lessee has optino but is not obligated to buy at a price to be determined at inception. Subject to prior sale, rebates apply where applicable.
***Plus tax, title, license & destination.

ILL

BUICK

m
G r a a t ni d o River

471-0800

Farmington Hills

major gains can be anticipat-
ed in the diplomatic and eco-
nomic spheres. His old Soviet
bankroller/arms supplier is now
just a historical memory and
the supremely pragmatic Syri-
an leader knows he must live
with the new reality of a unipo-
lar world centered on Wash-
ington.
He also has much to gain
from the political rehabilitation
and respectability that would
flow from a deal with Israel:
He stands to regain most, if
not all, of the Golan Heights
which he lost to Israel in the
1967 Six Day War.
He can expect to have his
country removed from the U.S.
State Department's list of na-
tions which sponsor interna-
tional terrorism.
He can anticipate the restora-
tion of full diplomatic and com-
mercial links with the U.S. and
Europe, as well as urgently
needed lines of trade credit and
aid.
As the tacit guarantor of sta-
bility on the Israeli-Lebanese
border, he will not only tighten
his stranglehold on Beirut but
also legitimize and institution-
alize his presence in Lebanon.
"Assad might not like the
deal between Israel and the

How The Signing
Almost Did Not Happen

T

costumes
for
children.

Ask for information on the

3rd annual Halloween Ball

(a benefit for Children's

Leukemia Foundation of Michigan)

— z c A 1( 1 1)1)1Y
" W \I iiS

• \

120 B. West Maple
Birmingham

313-540-1977

PLO but he is, above all, a prag-
matist and he knows he will be
damaged if he is seen to be at-
tempting to spoil an agreement
that has won overwhelming in-
ternational support," said an Is-
raeli source.
At the same time, however,
President Assad is understood
to be concerned that the evolu-
tion of an Israeli-Jordanian-
Palestinian bloc, involving
political, economic and securi-
ty cooperation, could weaken
Syria's role in the region and he
is therefore anxious to keep
pace with the other parties and
not be left behind.
An accord with Syria is like-
ly to evoke as much joy on
Prime Minister Rabin's face as
did the handshake with Chair-
man Arafat on the White House
South Lawn last week.
"Rabin's thoughts will be on
the potential dangers of an Is-
raeli pull-back on the Golan and
the rage he will face from the
Golan settlers," said the source.
"But at least he will be able
to take comfort in the knowl-
edge that Assad will also be ag-
onizing over recognizing Israel's
right to exist and the prospect
of an Israeli flag flying above an
Israeli embassy in Damas-
cus." ❑

he Israeli-PLO accord
came within 34 minutes
of not being signed at the
White House last week.
According to a report in the
London Sunday Times, Yassir
Arafat engaged in brinkman-
ship to the end, insisting on two
last-minute changes to the ac-
cord which would substitute
"PLO" for the words "'Palestin-
ian team."
Presented with the demand,
Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak
Rabin responded with a flat
"no," according to the Sunday
Times reporter Marie Colvin,
who flew with Chairman Arafat
back to Tunis after the signing
ceremony.
By 5 a.m. on the morning of
the White House ceremony,
Chairman Arafat called senior
aide Ahmed Tibi: "I haven't
slept all night," he said. "I can't
sign."
Mr.Tibi rushed to Chairman
Arafat's suite at the Westin
ANA Hotel in Washington and
at 6 a.m. called Israeli Foreign
Minister Shimon Peres. He
then drove to the Israeli head-
quarters at the Mayflower Ho-
tel and Mr. Peres agreed to
modify the second reference,
but still leaving out of the ac-
cord any mention of the PLO.

Mr. Tibi took the changes
back to Chairman Arafat, only
to be told that unless the Is-
raelis agreed to the changes, he
would leave Washington im-
mediately.
At 6:45 a.m., Mr. Tibi re-
turned to the Mayflower for fur-
ther talks with Mr. Peres.
Again, Mr. Rabin vetoed the
amendments.
When Mr. Tibi announced

Mr. Peres agreed to
modify the second
reference.

that Chairman Arafat was
ready to leave Washington, Mr.
Peres responded tartly: "Fine,
you will leave for Tunis, we will
leave for the White House."
Palestinian negotiator
Hanan Ashrawi then called
State Department peace coor-
dinator Dennis Ross, but he re-
portedly brushed her off: "Stop
worrying about petty details
and get on with it."
At 10 a.m., Mr. Peres and
Mr. Rabin were informed that
Chairman Arafat had not yet