ARAB AFFAIRS - Dec 22 - Syria Will Eventually Move To Direct Talks With Israel

APS Diplomat Recorder, Dec 31, 2009

Syrian President Bashar Assad says that his country will eventually embark on direct peace talks with Israel, but they must be based on UN Security Council resolutions. "Peace cannot be achieved through indirect negotiations alone. But if indirect talks succeed then direct negotiations will also, and peace will come naturally", the Syrian leader told a news conference with visiting Croatian President Stipe Mesic.

In May, Syria and Israel - technically still at war since the first Arab-Israeli conflict in 1948 - began Turkish-mediated indirect talks after direct negotiations halted eight years ago over Israel's refusal to vacate all of the Occupied Golan Heights. But indirect talks have been on hold since Israeli PM Ehud Olmert first announced in July he would step down over corruption allegations. Olmert was due in Ankara on Dec 22 to meet Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan about the indirect talks. Olmert, who said on Dec 18 that "a peace accord with Syria was within the realm of possibility", will remain in office until a new government is formed following the Israeli election on February 10. "It is essential to apply resolutions by the UN Security Council" on the Arab-Israeli conflict, Assad said on Dec 22. In exchange for peace Syria is demanding the return of the entire Golan, occupied by Israel since the 1967. But Israel has balked at that demand - which is in line with international law - since it would ean returning land right down to the shores of the Sea of Galilee - a primary source of fresh water. Assad also stressed the role of Europe in the peace process, saying: "Israel-Europe relations must be linked to Israel's acceptance of UN resolutions". Security Council resolutions 242 and 338 require Israel to withdraw from Arab territory it occupied in the 1967 war. Assad also said Europe should work to end the "unjust" Israeli blockade on Gaza and urged the incoming administration of US President-elect Barack Obama to focus on the Middle East peace process. "We also hope this administration has a clear vision to resolve the problem in Iraq, withdrawing its forces and creating a political process that ensures stability and Iraqi territorial integrity", he added.