President Hafez Assad said publicly that Mr Barak was a man he could do business with.

ECONOMIST: Lebanon

But the death of Hafez Assad, Syria's president for 30 years, has left Lebanon with a distracted backer at best.

ECONOMIST: Lebanon

The Clinton Administration now appears poised to make the same mistake with respect to an even more dangerous actor: Hafez Assad.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Center For Security Policy

He was go-between for the Clinton administration when it was dealing with President Hafez Assad of Syria and the Palestinians' Yasser Arafat.

ECONOMIST: Lexington

Also, the Egyptian leader said he would meet with Syrian President Hafez Assad and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, although he gave no timetable.

CNN: Clinton, Mubarak optimistic Mideast peace talks will be revived

Through Mr Mubarak, Mr Demirel delivered to Syria's President Hafez Assad a menu of demands so unpalatable that the Arabs assumed Turkey wanted war.

ECONOMIST: Turkey and Syria

Speaking of Syria, Secretary of State Warren Christopher announced on Sunday that he hoped Hafez Assad would come to the summit in Sharm el-Sheik since everybody involved in the "peace process" should be there.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Center for Security Policy | Of Delusions And ��The Deluge��: Genesis Of The ��Summit With Terrorists,�� Roots Of A Failed Foreign Policy

Posters of Bashar al-Assad, who succeeded his father Hafez in 2000, are everywhere on Jabal Muhsin, while rebel Free Syrian Army flags outnumber Lebanese ones in the Sunni areas nearby.

BBC: Neighbours at war in Lebanon's divided city of Tripoli

Assad has ruled since 2000, taking over from his father Hafez, who seized power in a 1970 coup.

MSN: U.N. envoy says Assad can't be in Syrian transition