 Grandstanding Veteran civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson discussed an Israel-Hizbullah prisoner swap with Syrian President Bashar Assad Sunday, and appealed for dialogue as a means to solve the Mideast's problems. Jackson, who arrived in Damascus on the first leg of a tour that also includes stops in Lebanon and Israel, said he was on a humanitarian mission to gauge the "views" of Syrian, Lebanese and Israeli officials.
He also said he would appeal to them to stick to the UN-brokered cease-fire that ended 34 days of fighting between Israel and Hizbullah. Jackson was leading a 10-member ecumenical delegation representing Jewish, Muslim, Roman Catholic and Protestant Groups on his Middle East tour. He also held talks with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem, as well as with Christian and Muslim clergymen in Damascus. |