NEW DELHI: Syrian President Bashar Assad yesterday dismissed the possibility of direct talks between him and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on the sidelines of an international summit in Paris next month.
“This is not like drinking tea. The meeting between me and the Israeli prime minister will be meaningless without technocrats, who are experts, laying the foundation. Only sending signals with no real result is meaningless,” Bashar, on a state visit to India, told reporters here.
Bashar and Olmert will be in Paris for the launch of a new Mediterranean Union to be announced by French President Nicolas Sarkozy on July 13.
Bashar’s comments were in response to Israeli President Shimon Peres’ call on Sunday for direct talks between the two countries. Peres cited the example of assassinated Egyptian President Anwar Sadat’s talks with Israeli leaders that resulted in a peace deal.
According to Bashar, direct talks with Israel are unlikely before 2009. That, of course, depends on the fate of Olmert, who is facing calls for his resignation over a graft scandal.
Syria and Israel announced last week the launch of their indirect peace talks, with Turkey as the mediator, after an eight-year freeze. The last round of negotiations on Golan Heights between the two countries broke down in 2000. Israel seized the strategic plateau from Syria in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. Israel annexed it in 1981, a move that is not recognized by the international community.
Indirect Syria-Israel talks and the Arab-brokered agreement in Doha that led to the election of former army chief Michel Suleiman as Lebanese president “were positive changes” in the region, Bashar said.
“There is a glimmer of hope now. There are changes that make the picture more positive,” Bashar said. Nevertheless, he pointed out that if these developments were not backed with the right steps, the situation in the region could worsen again.
The ongoing conflicts in the region, including those in Palestine and Lebanon, and the indirect talks between Syria and Israel, should be treated as one, Bashar asserted. “All three should be negotiated together as they are all interlinked,” he said.
On Iraq, Bashar said that the stability and peace of the country were crucial. If it were to disintegrate, it will have a “domino effect” not just in the Middle East but all of Asia. “We are going to help in the peace initiatives. But it depends on Americans whether they want to see real and viable solutions to these problems,” Bashar said.
Syria chairs a six-member Arab League group on Iraq.
Stressing that Iran had the same right as any other country to a peaceful use of nuclear technology, in keeping with international rules and laws, Bashar urged direct talks between the US and Iran. When asked about Syria’s relations with United States, Bashar said his country was keen on good ties with Washington, “But that does not mean we have to be puppets.”
“We look forward to good relations with US as its role in the peace process in the Middle East is very important. Unfortunately, this US administration is not interested in peace. We will have to wait for the next one,” the president said.
Syria is keen on India playing a “big role in the Middle East peace process because it has credibility,” Bashar said. “India has good relations with both the United States and Israel and anyone who wants to play a role has to have that credibility. India has that credibility because of its traditional support for the Arab cause as well as good relations with Israel,” he said.
