Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer has sent out "signals" that Israel would be willing to renew peace talks with Syria if it agrees to rein in the Islamic militant group Hezbollah. Ben-Eliezer first suggested the offer to Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer and Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit during a July visit to Ankara, with a request that they pass it on to Syrian President Bashar Assad. An aide to Ben-Eliezer confirmed that he had raised the matter in Turkey. Ben-Eliezer again raised the proposal in a later conversation with Jordan's King Abdullah II, who passed it on to Assad. Israel radio cited what it said was a dispatch from William Burns, the U.S. assistant secretary of state for the Middle East, reporting on his recent meeting with Assad, in which the Syrian leader indicated he was prepared to consider new negotiations with Israel.
Cheeze. What a way to do things, using two or three go-betweens at every turn. No wonder nothing is ever accomplished. Try ordering groceries that way. |