STOCK MARKETS Dec 2:-

Change on the day THU 02 0938GMT Market........Current.....Prev Close.....Pct Move Indonesia.....598.41.......597.54..........0.1% Malaysia......732.82.......732.87..........0.0% Philippines..1953.01......1983.01.........-1.5% Singapore....2227.30......2208.63..........0.8% Thailand......418.64.......423.07.........-1.0% Hong Kong...15603.04.....15422.52..........1.2% Japan.......18514.41.....18495.95..........0.1% Taiwan.......7806.26......7766.20..........0.5% Korea.........967.90.......999.16..........-3.1%

Change since start of Asia crisis Market........Current.....July '97.......Pct Move Indonesia.....598.41.......731.00.........-18.1% Malaysia......732.82......1230.00.........-40.4% Philippines..1953.01......2815.00.........-30.6% Singapore....2227.30......1928.00..........15.5% Thailand......418.64.......569.00.........-26.4% Hong Kong...15603.04.....15055.00...........3.6% Japan.......18514.41.....20000.00..........-7.4% Taiwan.......7806.26......9000.00.........-13.3% Korea.........967.90.......770.00..........25.7%

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News in 1996
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Malaysia to consider Israel ties after peace process

Copyright © 1996 Nando.net
Copyright © 1996 Reuter Information Service

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (Jan 27, 1996 3:03 p.m. EST) - Malaysia will consider establishing diplomatic relations with Israel only after the peace process between Israel and Syria is completed, the national Bernama news agency reported late Friday.

"We're monitoring very closely the outcome of the Israeli-Syrian peace talks, as we must be certain first that the peace process is moving in the right direction," Foreign Ministry Secretary-General Ahmad Kamil Jaafar was quoted as saying.

He was commenting on a Reuters report from New Delhi quoting Israeli Finance Minister Abraham Shohat as saying he expected formal ties between Israel and Indonesia and Malaysia to be established soon.

Ahmad Kamil stressed that Malaysia would not hurry into establishing ties with Israel until the problems with the Palestinians and the Middle East were fully resolved.

Malaysia said on Jan. 13 it was normalising trade ties with Israel and instructed its Ministry of International Trade and Industry to study possible areas for trade with the Jewish state.

Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said the decision was Malaysia's response to what he called Israel's changed attitude toward implementing the peace agreement with the Palestinians.

But he said normalising trade relations would not lead to establishing diplomatic ties until Israel settled problems with the Palestine Liberation Organization and Syria.

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News today
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Thursday, December 9, 1999

Israel and Syria to resume peace talks

Clinton makes announcement; negotiations to start up where they left off in 1996

By Aluf Benn

Peace talks between Syria and Israel will resume next week in the form of a first-ever high-level meeting between Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Syrian Foreign Minister Farouq a Shara.

The meeting will held in Washington under the aegis of U.S. President Bill Clinton.

Following the opening meeting, which will last two days, intensive talks will begin at a site to be determined in order to arrive at a peace treaty within a few months. Concurrently and in parallel, negotiations on the Israeli-Lebanon track will commence.

The dramatic announcement of the breakthrough was made by Clinton yesterday at a nationally televised press conference. President Clinton cautioned that "success is not inevitable" but that peace appeared to be "within our grasp."

Clinton said the talks will resume "at the point where they left off" in 1996.

"These negotiations will be high-level, comprehensive, and conducted with the aim of reaching an agreement as soon as possible," Clinton said.

The two sides "face hard choices," Clinton said. "They will have to stand firmly against all those who seek to derail the peace, and, sadly, there are too many of them."

Syria and Israel suspended negotiations in 1996 amid a wave of terrorism against Israel.

Clinton's announcement came after Secretary of State Madeleine Albright's meetings in the region this week with Barak and Syrian President Hafez a#sad.

The announcement was delayed until Clinton spoke with a#sad in order to hear from him personally that he had decided to resume talks. Until their conversation, officials in Jerusalem refrained from expressing optimism.

There was some agonizing in Jerusalem at the diplomatic level as to whether Barak should attend a meeting with the Syrian foreign minister. a#sad's health prevents him from making the trip.

Barak yesterday evening phoned Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Palestinian Authority Chairman Ya#ser Arafat to offer his greetings on the start of the holy month of Ramadan and to update them on the developments.