UN Middle East envoy denies account of his meeting with Syrian leader

The top United Nations Middle East envoy today denied a report in an Israeli newspaper about his meeting with Syrian President Bashir al Assad with regard to the whereabouts of missing Israelis and to the United States.

The Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Terje Roed-Larsen, does not usually comment on conversations in diplomatic meetings, but the account in an Israeli newspaper today regarding his meeting with President Assad is not correct, a statement said.

Therefore, Mr. Roed-Larsen feels compelled to set the record straight. The quotes attributed to President Assad about the whereabouts of the missing Israelis and regarding the United States are not true, it added.

In the newspaper report, Mr. Assad was quoted as saying some of the Israelis, missing or kidnapped in Lebanon, were dead and some were alive, adding that Syria knew where they were and demanded the release of prisoners held in Israel in exchange for them.

The statement said Mr. Assad did express his desire to resume negotiations with Israel as soon as possible in order to achieve a comprehensive peace in the region.