Israeli messages to Syria on the resumption of negotiations
Syria-Israel, Politics, 4/6/2004

The Israeli daily Maarve said that the Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon opposes any negotiations with Syria "because the Israeli people do not bear moving on two tracks simultaneously," but this will not prevent Israel from sending messages to Damascus on resuming the negotiations.

The paper's political correspondent Bin Kasbeit said that this very position of Sharon is in contradiction with the position of the intelligence branch in the Israeli army. But this difference did not prevent Israel recently from addressing official messages for Syria stating Israel's readiness to resume the negotiations without prior conditions. However, Israel stressed in the message conveyed recently by the former American diplomat Edward Djerjian and the Dutch foreign minister Bernard Bot on the need to concentrate first on the issue of terrorism.

Maarve said that Djerjian, who is considered one of the main experts in the Syrian affairs ( worked as an Ambassador in Syria), carried with him new thoughts and frank proposals to resume the negotiations between Israel and Syria and met in Tel Aviv for this purpose with several Israeli officials including Sharon's head of office Dove Vicevlas, the chairman of the security political team at the defense ministry Amoud Jalaad, the foreign minister Silvan Shalom, army chief of staff Moshe Ya'loun, chairman of the intelligence branch Aharon Zeafi and chairman of the research department in the intelligence branch Yusi Koppervaser.

The Dutch foreign minister Bot also met with Sharon and Shalom before his visit to Damascus and by his turn tried to work for the resumption of negotiations between the two countries and came out with an apparently positive message with an empty content because of the veto Sharon imposes on the Syrian track.

Previous Stories:
  Okaz: Information minister stresses Syria's cling to peace, interview   (3/27/2004)
  A Day of people's anger in the Golan tomorrow   (3/13/2004)
  Syrian Citizens of Golan- March 8 Celebration   (3/9/2004)

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