Beirut and Damascus are angry that the so-called "Quartet" excluded them from negotiations over the US road map for regional peace, diplomatic sources said yesterday. They claim that some members of the Quartet, which includes the United States, Russia, the European Union and the UN, erred by handing a first copy of the road map to US-allied Arab states - Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan - and keeping it from Lebanon and Syria.

US envoy William Burns only briefed Beirut and Damascus orally on the contents of the peace plan during his recent regional tour. Lebanon and Syria's replies are identical, namely that no position should be outlined nor any observations made until their capitals receive an official document. They did, however, inform Burns of their misgivings.

The latest meeting of the Arab League Summit Follow-Up Committee in Damascus last week saw the foiling of a Jordanian-Palestinian attempt to discuss amendments to the road map introduced by Amman. Jordanian Foreign Minister Marwan Moashar succeeded in adding to the text of the plan a provision that any negotiations with Israel should not be confined to the Palestinians but include Lebanon and Syria. The Arab Foreign Ministers who met in Damascus ignored amendments presented by Palestinian International Planning Minister Nabil Shaath.

It seems that Arab disagreements over the road map will keep it off the agenda of the Quartet's meeting in Washington next month. Israel has also raised objections to the plan. Diplomatic reports said Moscow sought to convince Washington of the importance of having the road map endorsed by the UN Security Council, to make it internationally binding. In the meantime, the Quartet has pressured both Arabs and Israelis to remove obstacles facing the document's endorsement.

The Syrian cabinet decided to suspend the Director-General of the radio and TV, Fayez Sayyegh, and the director of the Syrian TV satellite station Ala' Nemeh from their posts because they broadcast a TV interview with the American ambassador in Damascus, Theodore Qattouf, in which he called on Damascus to change its foreign policy. The Syrian Deputy Minister of Culture, Riad Ismat, has taken over Sayyegh's post.

Sources in Damascus said that the decision followed the broadcasting, several days ago, of a program about Syria's relations with the US presented by anchor Farah Buqa'e. In the interview, the ambassador indicated points of difference between the two countries saying "those who back and support terrorist organizations should know that this will affect the American vision of them, and we have to keep that in mind." Qattouf added that the American president and people hope that Syria will reconsider some of its past policies, which "we think do not serve the Syrian interests, nor the interests of peace". But he regarded Syria's vote for the recent UN Security Council resolution no.1441 on Iraq as "very encouraging". Qattouf also called on Syria and Lebanon to play a greater role in fighting terrorism and restrain Palestinian organizations and the Hizbullah.