Israel's Kahlani is ready to meet Assad on Lebanon
Syria, Politics, 7/24/1997

Israel's public security Minister, Avigdor Kahalani, said in an interview that he is ready to go to Syria to discuss a plan for Israeli troops to pull out of South Lebanon.

Kahalani a former general, told the Kuwaiti daily Al Rai Al Am that he wanted to meet the Syrian president Hafez Al Assad to discuss both a withdrawal and resuming peace talks with Syria.

It appeared to be an unusual step By Kahalani, who split with Israel's labor party to form his own Third Way Party over Labor's plans to return the Golan Heights to Syria.

He expressed caution about dealings with Syria, saying he has seen no movement towards peace by Assad, adding that he would not trust the Syrian leader " unless I met him face-to-face and we had direct negotiations."

Kahalani has advocated a pullout from the Israeli-occupied border enclave in South Lebanon before.

He told Al Rai Al Am that this step should be taken as soon as possible because " the Israeli army can protect the settlements and the towns in northern Israel from the international border."

The pullout could be a part of "an international plan based on the fact that peacekeeping could be carried out by the Lebanese army, or by multi-national forces that may include Arab troops from Egypt or Jordan," he said. Israel has peace treaties with both Egypt and Jordan.

Negotiations between Syria and Israel broke down in early 1996 following a wave of suicide bombing in Israel.

Syria has demanded a complete Israeli withdrawal from the Golan Heights. Prime Minister Netanyahu refuses to even consider that, saying the strategic plateau is vital to Israel's security.

Meanwhile Israel toughened its stance against Syria on July 23 by adopting a bill aimed at blocking any withdrawal from the occupied Golan Heights.

With prime Minister Netanyahu's support, the parliament narrowly voted for the bill extending Israel's de facto annexation of the strategic plateau.

The proposal, which sparked an opposition walk-out, stipulates that any move to withdraw from the Golan must be approved by a two-thirds majority, or 80 of parliament's 120 members.

" Strengthening the law on the Golan does not undermine negotiations with Syria," Netanyahu told reporters after the vote.

"On the contrary, it will contribute to peace because Syria must understand that the Golan is indispensable to Israel," he said.

However, opposition labor MPs said the bill would be the final nail in the coffin of peace talks with Syria.

Damascus was quick to condemn the vote.

" The Israeli parliament bill represents an attempt to back out of implementing resolutions of the United Nations and the peace process set by the Madrid conference" the official Syrian news agency said.

Even though the bill, which was approved by 43 votes to 40, must go through three readings in the parliament before it becomes law, it is a clear signal of Netanyahu's intentions on the Golan, the opposition said.

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