http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1058907.html
Last update - 22:14 26/01/2009
Assad: Syria will talk with any prime minister elected in Israel
By The Associated Press and Haaretz Service
Tags: Assad, Syria, U.S.
Syrian President Bashar Assad said Monday that Syria was "willing to hold
talks with any prime minister who is elected in Israel."
Despite the optimistic declaration, Assad told Lebanon's Al-Manar TV
later in the interview that "if whoever is elected in Israel won't be willing
to pull out of the Golan Heights, there will be no negotiations." The Syrian
leader lashed out at Israel, saying that "in the indirect talks between Israel
and Syria it became clear that Israel is not interested in peace. Israel, in
general, does not want to achieve peace. We held talks with Israel over recent
weeks, but Israel did not convey its commitment to peace talks, and it became
clear that they only understand the language of force."
The Syrian president added that Israel's three-week assault on the Gaza
Strip, which began last month, proved Israel's disrespect for the United
Nations, the Security Council and the Arab League. He also criticized Prime
Minister Ehud Olmert, saying that "if Olmert were to come to me today and say
that he was ready for peace, what could we tell him? We would tell him that he
is a criminal and that we don't talk to criminals."
Assad also told Al-Manar Monday that he wants to pursue dialogue with the
United States, but maintained that there should be no preconditions.
He said that the new American administration has already sent officials
to Damascus to begin dialogue. He did not name them but said they had visited
Syria before.
Assad added that despite the positive signals from Washington "we have
learned to be cautious."
Syrian-U.S. relations deteriorated sharply during the administration of
former President George W. Bush, which accused Syria of allowing foreign
fighters to cross its border into Iraq. Syria denied doing so, while saying it
was impossible to control its long desert border with Iraq.
Washington also pulled its ambassador out of Syria after the 2005
assassination in Beirut of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
Damascus was widely accused of being involved in the killing but has denied the
accusation.
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