DAMASCUS, 26 November 2004 — Syria’s peace overture to Israel appears designed to win favor in the international community, which has put mounting pressure on Damascus over its dominance of neighboring Lebanon and allegations it is playing a role in the Iraq insurgency.
UN Middle East envoy Terje Roed-Larsen said yesterday he would visit Israel next week to discuss an overture by Syrian President Bashar Assad to renew peace talks with the Jewish state.
“I will visit Israel next week...I will listen carefully to what they have to say on the basis of my talks with the president of Syria yesterday,” Larsen told journalists after a meeting with Lebanese Foreign Minister Mahmoud Hammoud in Beirut.
The UN envoy said “any peace...have to be based on the relevant Security Council resolutions and the principle of land for peace and my understanding is very clearly that beyond that there is absolutely no condition.”
Roed-Larsen on Wednesday said that Bashar was ready to reopen negotiations with Israel stalled since 2000 “without conditions”, an offer immediately slapped down by Israel.
Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom said no talks were possible while Syria “allows terrorism to be conducted on their territory”, repeating accusations that Syria is harboring leaders of Palestinian militant groups and supporting the Lebanese Hezbollah militia.
The offer came as Syria appears to be in an increasingly tight spot following the re-election this month of US President George W. Bush, whose administration in May imposed sanctions on Damascus, claiming it was supporting terrorism and seeking to develop weapons of mass destruction.
A US-French sponsored UN Security Council resolution in October further called on Damascus to withdraw its 14,000 troops from its smaller neighbor, Lebanon, and stop perceived interference in its politics.
While relations between Israel and the United States have never been so good, Washington has repeatedly accused Damascus of not doing enough to prevent militants crossing its border with Iraq to join insurgents fighting US-led forces there.
Faced with such mounting pressure, Damascus does not want to be seen as the party preventing a peace deal.
“Syria’s position is known. We are favorable to negotiations without conditions but the others (Israel) want to impose their own,” a Syrian official told AFP under condition of anonymity.
