Syria buys the apples of the Golan via the UN
Syria-Israel, Politics, 12/24/2004

Syria yesterday stressed its desire to buy the apples crop from the villages of the occupied Syrian Golan heights as a response to the demands of the Syrian farmers who are under the Israeli occupation.

This will be arranged via the UN while the Israeli defense ministry wanted to give the matter a larger dimension by talking about the "first trade deal" between the two countries.

In a statement, a source at the Syrian foreign ministry stressed Syria's desire to buy apples produced in the occupied Golan occupied by Israel via the UN rather directly from Israel. The source stressed "that Syria's desire to buy the apples results from its sense of responsibility of helping the Syrian peasants in exporting their products which have been receded as a result of production surplus the Syrian farmers suffer."

Earlier, a spokesman for the Israeli ministry of defense said hat the defense minister Shaoul Mofar permitted selling Syria 15,000 tons of apples produced in the Golan heights. The Israeli spokesman said "It is the first trade deal permitted officially," between the two countries.

More than 15,000 Syrians with the majority of them are Druz, live in the occupied Golan. Most of them refused to give up their Syrian nationality stressing that they are Syrians. The Israeli spokesman said that the "apples will be transported by the beginning of next week, but he could not explain if the apples will be handed over directly via Quneirtra border center in the Golan or via Jordan.

Previous Stories:
  Israel release Abu Zeid   (12/22/2004)
  Security Council extends UNDOF mission in occupied Golan   (12/17/2004)
  UN Security Council extends UNDOF mission in Golan   (12/16/2004)

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