Switzerland has raised the possibility of hosting a summit between Israel and Syria as part of efforts to restart the stalled Middle East peace talks, according to the foreign ministry.

Switzerland has raised the possibility of hosting a summit between Israel and Syria as part of efforts to restart the stalled Middle East peace talks, according to the foreign ministry.

A spokesman said the foreign minister, Joseph Deiss, made it clear during his visit to Syria that if all sides wanted such a meeting, Switzerland would be prepared to host it. But the spokesman stressed it was not a concrete offer and no time or date has been set for such a meeting.

The spokesman said the issue had been raised during Deiss's discussions in Damascus, prior to his departure for Lebanon on the final leg of his Middle East trip.

Arab newspapers have speculated that Syria's president, Hafez al-Assad, and the Israeli prime minister, Ehud Barak, might meet together with President Clinton in Geneva to try to overcome obstacles to a peace treaty.

Clinton and Assad met in Geneva in 1994.

From staff and wire reports

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