USA supports anti Assad groups in Syria

The US State Department ackowledged the fact that it is supporting various anti-Assad Syrian groups in an attempt to facilitate a regime change in Syria.
Assad has been on the "wanted list" of president Bush for a long time for his regime's violent involvement in Lebanese politics and its support of terrorism.
America financially supports several opposition groups and asists in coordination between them.
Syria has made several peace overtures towards Israel in the past two weeks. Bush holds the view that Assad, the Syrian President, should not be negotiated with.

Assad and Olmert deny any letter

The letter which Syrian President, Bashar Assad, supposedly sent to Israeli PM, Ehud Olmert in which he urged him to begin negotiations without any preliminary conditions and promised to restrain Hamas and to stop weapon smuggling to Hezbollah through Syria, simply did not exist.
Both Olmert and Assad denied any such letter. Olmert was the first to deny it through his aides earlier this morning and he was backed by Assad this evening while on a state visit to Russia.
The "letter" was reported by Arab television this morning and aroused enthusiastic responses in the Israeli political arena.
Throughout the day analysts doubted the existence of such a letter as it appeared that Assad would never have promised so much before negotiations even begun.


(editorial note: I would appreciate it if you, the reader, would take the time to participate in the Webpoll I published on the right hand side of this blog)

No reason to hold negotiations with Syria

According to a top aide of PM, Ehud Olmert, there is not reason to hold negotiations with Syria at this time. The aide said that the preliminary conditions of Israel had already been passed to Syria which has done nothing towards fulfilling them. In fact, Syria is supposedly placing spokes in the wheels of the efforts to establish a national unity government in the Palestinian Territories and delivers arms to Hezbollah or does nothing to stop arms from flowing to the Lebanese terror group through its borders. The aide also doubted whether such negotiations will prompt Syria to sever its ties with Iran and allow its removal from Bush's Axis of Evil.
Olmert had earlier today expressed the view that Israel should not start negotiations with Syria when President Bush refuses to talk to Syria himself.



Editorial note: Syria was not originally a member of Bush's Axis of Evil

Syria: The Golan Heights is not a preliminary condition

Syria continues it peace overtures to Israel: Syrain FM, Walid Mualem, in an interview to the Daily Star, said that the return of the Golan Heights is not a preliminary condition in a future negotiation between Israel and Syria. Up to now, it has always been Syria's position that the return of the Golan Heights must be the known conclusion of a negotiation between it and Israel.

Mualem's statements come in the wake of Assad's statement in which he urged Israeli PM, Olmert, to take a chance on him and see that his intentions are true. Mualem emphasized that he expresses his leader's view.

Mualem also said that Syria is eager to work constructively with Washington to solve the crisis in Iraq and does not wish to reestablish its stronghold in Lebanon as a return.

Mualem said that the Middle East is at a crossroads: either the area will return to stability, or will plummet to inter-religious wars.

Mualem's statements are a complete opposite of those he expressed after the war between Israel and Hezbollah last summer, in which he said that there is now a window of opportunity for a few months to settle the issue of the Golan Heights by peace or the countdown for a new Israeli-Syria war will commence.

Assad urges Olmert to see if he is serious

In an interview to Italian newspaper, La Republica, Syrian president, Assad, said that the USA and Europe will have to talk with Syria and Iran in order solve the crisis in Iraq.

Assad also urged Olmert to take a chance on him and see that his intentions are serious. Assad was referring to some peace overtures the Syrian President made in the past months.

Assad said that Syria is willing to work constructively with Washington to solve regional issues, for if the conflicts in the region in Iraq, Lebanon and the Israeli-palestinian conflict the neighbouring countries will pay the price.

Over the past months Assad made references to the Golan Heights and said that if no negotiation will be initiated to return it to Syria, it will have to do it by force.