News In Brief
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Jesse Jackson postpones planned visit to Syria
Jesse Jackson Wednesday delayed his mission to Syria to seek release of captured US Navy Lt. Robert Goodman, but he said he still intends to make the trip.
After meeting with Syrian Ambassador Rafic Jouejati, Mr. Jackson said he was encouraged but that there had been an incomplete response to several of his requests. Jackson has laid down a series of conditions including meetings with Syrian President Hafez Assad and Goodman, shot down Dec. 4 over Lebanon. The trip will be dalayed until the weekend at the latest, Jackson said.
Jackson had said Tuesday that he would cancel his plans to go to Syria if President Reagan asked him to. Reagan expressed concern about Jackson's involvement in sensitive Middle East diplomacy but did not say the trip should be canceled. Jackson said he believed he had accomplished one of his goals, which was to make Goodman's release a matter of high priority for the government.
