Syria Says Israeli Talks Postponed

[struggle4progress]

Source: NYT

By ROBERT F. WORTH
Published: September 4, 2008

BEIRUT, Lebanon — President Bashar al-Assad of Syria said Thursday that his country had made specific proposals for peace with Israel to Turkish mediators, but that the latest round of indirect negotiations between the states had been postponed because of internal Israeli politics, and that the outcome would depend on who becomes Israel’s next prime minister in the coming elections there.

Mr. Assad spoke at a news conference in Damascus alongside the leaders of France, Turkey and Qatar, in a televised appearance seemingly intended to underscore Syria’s work to emerge from American-led efforts to isolate it diplomatically. President Nicolas Sarkozy of France arrived in Syria on Wednesday, the first visit there by a Western head of state in five years.

Mr. Assad’s reference to the postponement of talks with Israel follows the announcement by the Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert, that he will resign once his party chooses a new leader in party elections this month, which has cast a new layer of uncertainty over Middle East peace talks.

“We are now waiting for the Israeli elections to define the future of this stage,” Mr. Assad said. “We want support of all countries.” ...

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/05/world/middleeast/05damascus.html?_r=1&ref=middleeast&oref=slogin

[Purveyor]

1. The very last thing that "internal Israeli politics" will consider is peace.

War is their 'meal-ticket'...