Print
E-mail
Israel, Syria Aim To Resume Peace Talks
By DAVID BEDEIN, Middle East Correspondent
Jerusalem – Against the backdrop of tensions along the northern border, a surprising exchange of messages has occurred between Israel and Syria over the possibility of renewing peace negotiations between the two countries.
In the course of a visit to Zagreb, Croatia, Wednesday, Syrian President Bashar Assad voiced his support for resuming peace talks with Israel, and called on the European Union to take action to assist in bringing about their resumption.
“We have national support for continued talks with Israel,” said Mr. Assad following his meeting with Croatian President Stjepan Mesic. “That said, the condition for the resumption of talks is that there be someone on the Israeli side who wants to continue the talks.”
Mr. Assad praised the Turkish involvement in the negotiations held last year and stressed the need for a third party to help in the renewal of the talks.
“We call on the countries of Europe to contribute their part and to help Turkey, but also to help us begin again the talks from the point at which they stopped,” said Mr. Assad.
Mr. Mesic said that he supported a renewal of the talks and the return of the Golan Heights to Syria, while assuring security for Israel.
Israel Defense Minister Ehud Barak responded to Mr. Assad’s statements and said that peace with Syria was “a central brick in any stable regional arrangement.”
Mr. Barak said that “Israel sought in the past and will continue to seek in the future ways of promoting peace with Syria.”
Mr. Barak added, however, “responsible behavior by the Syrians and Hezbollah agents is needed to prevent a deterioration in the region.”
Top officials in the Israeli security establishment support a resumption of dialogue on the Syrian track, including both Mr. Barak and Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Gabi Ashkenazi. Other high-ranking security officials said that it was important to extricate Syria from the “axis of evil” headed by Iran and to weaken that axis.
That being said, Israeli officials underscored that Syria was continuing to arm Hezbollah with advanced weaponry.
The central Israeli security concern revolves around the possibility of advanced anti-tank weaponry being introduced into Hezbollah’s arsenal. According to foreign reports, including a report in the London Times, Israel is principally worried about Iran equipping Hezbollah with SA-8 batteries via Syria. Western intelligence officials have reported on training exercises that Hezbollah combatants held with Syrian SA-8 systems. Israel perceives Hezbollah’s acquisition of that weapons system as a red line.
On Wednesday, four rockets that were ready for launching were discovered in the area of the village Hula, which is where the most recent rocket was fired at Israel.
David Bedein can be reached at bedein@thebulletin.us
In the course of a visit to Zagreb, Croatia, Wednesday, Syrian President Bashar Assad voiced his support for resuming peace talks with Israel, and called on the European Union to take action to assist in bringing about their resumption.
“We have national support for continued talks with Israel,” said Mr. Assad following his meeting with Croatian President Stjepan Mesic. “That said, the condition for the resumption of talks is that there be someone on the Israeli side who wants to continue the talks.”
Mr. Assad praised the Turkish involvement in the negotiations held last year and stressed the need for a third party to help in the renewal of the talks.
“We call on the countries of Europe to contribute their part and to help Turkey, but also to help us begin again the talks from the point at which they stopped,” said Mr. Assad.
Mr. Mesic said that he supported a renewal of the talks and the return of the Golan Heights to Syria, while assuring security for Israel.
Israel Defense Minister Ehud Barak responded to Mr. Assad’s statements and said that peace with Syria was “a central brick in any stable regional arrangement.”
Mr. Barak said that “Israel sought in the past and will continue to seek in the future ways of promoting peace with Syria.”
Mr. Barak added, however, “responsible behavior by the Syrians and Hezbollah agents is needed to prevent a deterioration in the region.”
Top officials in the Israeli security establishment support a resumption of dialogue on the Syrian track, including both Mr. Barak and Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Gabi Ashkenazi. Other high-ranking security officials said that it was important to extricate Syria from the “axis of evil” headed by Iran and to weaken that axis.
That being said, Israeli officials underscored that Syria was continuing to arm Hezbollah with advanced weaponry.
The central Israeli security concern revolves around the possibility of advanced anti-tank weaponry being introduced into Hezbollah’s arsenal. According to foreign reports, including a report in the London Times, Israel is principally worried about Iran equipping Hezbollah with SA-8 batteries via Syria. Western intelligence officials have reported on training exercises that Hezbollah combatants held with Syrian SA-8 systems. Israel perceives Hezbollah’s acquisition of that weapons system as a red line.
On Wednesday, four rockets that were ready for launching were discovered in the area of the village Hula, which is where the most recent rocket was fired at Israel.
David Bedein can be reached at bedein@thebulletin.us
 |
 |
|
| Museum Receives Horrifying Offer From Nazi Relative | RJC Opposes Obama’s Appointment Of Hagel |
Reader Comments
The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of thebulletin.us.
You must register with a valid email to post comments. Only your Member ID will be posted with the comments.
Registered users sign in here: |
Become a Registered User |
