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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Core of Syria policy, resistance to Israel: Assad |
| 2009-11-12 |
| Syrian President Bashar al-Assad says his country has not set preconditions for holding peace talks with Israel, but adds that Damascus "will not renounce" its rights. "Resistance [to Israeli occupation] forms the core of our policy, both in the past and in the future. We do not put forward conditions on making peace, but we do have rights that we will not renounce," the Syrian president told a meeting of Arab political parties on Wednesday. Assad made the remarks in response to Israeli President Shimon Peres' proposal for "direct and unconditional" peace talks with Damascus in the near future. Israel and Syria have been technically at war since 1967 when Israeli troops captured the Golan Heights during the Six-Day War. The two sides have so far held four rounds of indirect talks to reach a comprehensive peace agreement through Turkish mediators last year. However, Syria formally suspended the talks in protest at Israel's three-week-long offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, which left about 1,400 Palestinians dead at the turn of the year. Damascus has repeatedly said that it will resume peace talks with Tel Aviv only after a full Israeli pullout from the strategic plateau, which Israel occupied in 1967 and annexed in 1981. The region has now an estimated population of 20,000 Israeli settlers and 20,000 Syrians. Syria describes its demand for a complete Israeli withdrawal as a step towards reviving its rights and not a precondition. Israel has so far refused to return the plateau, which is a key source of fresh water for the arid region. Returning the Golan Heights will also cost Tel Aviv billions of dollars since it will have to dismantle Jewish settlements in the territory and pay compensation to the settlers. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #6 Assad, how about doing something for your people and making Syria's core policy be improving life in Syria? |
| Posted by: 3dc 2009-11-12 23:19 |
| #5 putting the political leaders to death in defeat might have a curbing effect on that behavior. Escuche, Chavez? |
| Posted by: Frank G 2009-11-12 22:14 |
| #4 If there are no consequences for starting a war, what's to stop people from fighting every day? Syria attacked Israel, Syria lost, Israel keeps the Golan. I see nothing wrong with that. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2009-11-12 21:44 |
| #3 How's that workin' for ya, pencil-neck? |
| Posted by: mojo 2009-11-12 11:07 |
| #2 SAME > seems 1960's FUTURE GUAM'S + OWG CHINA'S FAVORI-I-I-T-E SEXY ARMED SUPERMODEL-TREASURE PERT ANGELINA "LARA KROFT/CHINA RULES THE WORLD" JOLIE wants to adopt a kid from SYRIA. Compare agz MADONNA'S adopting kiddies from MALAWI = aka L'Affriqque's CRADLE OF HUMAN/WORLD CIVILIZATION??? D *** NG IT, AL BUNDY IS SO UPSET HE CAN HARDLY EAT/FINISH HIS TASTY MIGHTY DAGWOOD SANDWICH [but he will]. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2009-11-12 00:57 |
| #1 TOPIX > SYRIA DIGS DEEP [massive anti-ISRAEL underground C-n-C bunker financed by IRAN]??? |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2009-11-12 00:20 |