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GV: Street scenes in Damascus
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LV INTERIOR: Prime Minister of Grenada, Mr. Maurice Bishop, seated with Syrian President Hafez Al Assad
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CU: Mr. Bishop
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CU: President Al Assad
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SV: Two leaders talking
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LV: Syrian delegation headed by Prime Minister Abdel Roulf Al Kassem seated at conference table. (2 shots)
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CU AND SV: Bishop and Grenada delegation sitting opposite Syrians. (2 shots)
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SV INTERIOR: Jordanian Prime Minister Abdul hamid Sharaf seated with Kassem. (3 shots)
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Initials RH/





Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: Syrian leaders have met with the Prime Minister from the Caribbean island of Grenada and Syria's next door neighbour - Syria. On Tuesday (22 January) the Prime Minister of Grenada M. Maurice Bishop, had talks with Syrian President Hafez Al-Assad and Prime Minister Abdel Raouf Al Kassem on bilateral issues and recent developments in the Middle East. The following day (23 January), the Syrian leaders probed these topics with Jordanian Prime Minister, Sharif Abdel Hamid Sharaf.

SYNOPSIS: The first of the two foreign statesmen to arrive in Damascus was Prime Minister Bishop of Grenada. Mr. Bishop and his left-wing New Jewel Movement took power of their West Indian island in a bloodless coup in March 1979. Prime Minister Bishop's talks with President Assad concentrated on issues of mutual interest.

In another meeting, Mr. Bishop spoke with Syrian Prime Minister Kassem and the ministers for the exterior, information, planing and economy. Mr Bishop holds most of these portfolios himself. He said his discussions centred on events in Iran and Afghanistan, and he condemned the United States for what he called its attempts to exploit these events for imperialist aims.

The Jordanian Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Sharaf arrived in Damascus the following day. He carried a message from King Hussein to President Al-Assad. It was the first time Mr. Sharaf visited Syria in his capacity as Prime Minister, a post he was appointed to only three days before (20 January). Mr. Sharaf said his talks centred on the present Arab problems and the Islamic conference.