Clinton knew Syria's Assad as 'open and straightforward'

NORTHFIELD, Minn. - Despite his disagreements with Syrian President Hafez Assad, President Clinton said the Arab leader who died Saturday was ''open and straightforward'' and desired a lasting peace in the Middle East.

White House spokesman Joe Lockhart announced later that Secretary of State Madeleine Albright would represent the United States at Assad's funeral.

Under questioning, Lockhart confirmed that neither Clinton nor Vice President Al Gore would attend the service. ''I think the president believes that Secretary Albright is the appropriate person to attend,'' he said. He declined to say whether Clinton had been advised not to make the trip.

''I regret that peace was not achieved in his lifetime, and I hope that it can still be achieved, in no small measure because of the commitment he made,'' Clinton told reporters at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport after giving a commencement speech at Carleton College, 40 miles to the south in Northfield.

Lockhart said Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak telephoned Clinton and they spoke for about 10 minutes, touching on all areas of the peace process but not dwelling on Assad's death. ''We are obviously in a very critical part of the peace process,'' the spokesman added.

On his trip to Minnesota, Clinton was told on Air Force One of reports that Assad had died. He didn't know for sure until an aide passed a folded note to the president as he sat, wearing cap and gown, waiting to make the last commencement speech of his presidency.

He read it and let go a sigh, holding the note up to his chin to reflect on the news. Clinton didn't mention the 69-year-old Assad in his speech but issued a written statement afterward and spoke to reporters at the airport before heading to two fund-raising events in Minneapolis.

''I had the occasion to meet with President Assad many times, and I believe I got to know him well,'' Clinton said. ''And while we had our disagreements, I always respected him because I felt that he was open and straightforward with me, and because I felt he meant it when he said he had made a strategic choice for peace.''

Assad has steadfastly demanded return from Israel of all the Golan Heights, a border plateau that Israel took in the 1967 Six-Day War. Israel has offered to return the Golan. But Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak balked at Syria's demand for a sliver of land along the shores of the Sea of Galilee, the source of about 40 percent of Israel's water.

Clinton failed to change Assad's mind when he reiterated the Israeli offer in March at a meeting with Assad in Geneva, Switzerland, their last meeting.

The president said it was too early to assess the impact Assad's death will have on Middle East peace negotiations.

Talks are scheduled this week in Washington between senior Israeli and Palestinian negotiators. On Wednesday, Clinton is to meet at the White House with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

''There will be a period of mourning in Syria, there will be a period of sorting out, and the Syrian people will make some decisions, and then we'll see what happens,'' Clinton said. ''But, you know, we've been at this now for years because of the decision that he made to go back to negotiations and try to move away from conflict, and it's certainly a path I hope the country will stay on.''

Secretary of State Madeleine Albright met Wednesday with Syria's foreign minister in Cairo, Egypt. She said Syria showed interest in reopening talks with Israel, but Farouk al-Sharaa did not signal any shift in his country's territorial demands.