America's plan for a "new Middle East" has collapsed after Hizbullah's successes in fighting against Israel, Syrian President Bashar Assad said on Tuesday in Damascus. "The Middle East they (the Americans) aspire to ... has become an illusion," he said. Assad, speaking to a journalists' association in Damascus, said the region had changed "because of the achievements of the resistance." According to Assad, "The Arabs gave everything and got nothing in return. When we say that we have chosen peace as our strategy, it does mean we gave up other options. On the contrary."
"We are convinced that the true path to peace is via negotiations, but if this path is not possible - resistance is the only way. Not necessarily an armed resistance but a cultural and political resistance as well. The goal of the resistance is not war but rather peace. It therefore does not contradict the peace and is necessary in the current state of affairs," he said.
The Syrian president went on to claim that the peace process has "failed", calling Israel the enemy and saying that it did not want peace. The fighting in Lebanon had been planned by Israel for some time, he said, but the endeavor failed. "The result was more failure for Israel, its allies and masters," Assad said.
The Syrian leader said US participation was needed for a peace settlement in the Middle East, but he said peace cannot be achieved under the administration of US President George Bush. "This is an administration that adopts the principle of pre-emptive war that is absolutely contradictory to the principle of peace," he said. "Consequently, we don't expect peace soon or in the foreseeable future."
Assad said this war revealed the limitations of Israel's military power. In a 1982 invasion of Lebanon, Israeli forces surrounded Beirut within seven days of invading, he said. "After five weeks it (Israel) was still struggling to occupy a few hundred meters." "From a military perspective, it (the battle) was decided in favor of the resistance (Hizbullah). Israel has been defeated from the beginning," Assad said. "They (Israelis) have become a subject of ridicule."
Assad also lashed out at Arab regimes, without naming them, who have criticized Hizbullah for kidnapping two Israeli soldiers and starting the war. Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan - all allies of the United States - criticized Hizbullah's actions at the start of the conflict.