SECOND STAGE - SECOND FLASHPOINT

The Syrian Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister, Abdul Halim Khaddam, recently paid a sudden and unannounced visit to Sadi Arabia's summer capital of Taif, where he had talks with King Fahd and Prince Saud al Faisal, the Foreign Minister. No details were released on the issues discussed or the purpose of Khaddam's trip, nor was there any commentary on the subject from Riyadh or Damascus. However, it needs no special insight to deduce that the talks would certainly have centred on the second stage of the war in Lebanon.