On the Syrian track

The Israeli daily Jerusalem Post said on Monday that the Israeli deputy defense minister, Ephriam Sneh, has expressed his pessimism over the possibility of resuming peace talks with Syria shortly, adding that even if peace is reached, the region will stay unstable.

Sneh, who was talking during the annual session of the Jewish public affairs council held in the US city of Baltimore, Maryland on Sunday, added that the situation at the present is not encouraging at all.

He added that the great concession Israel prepares itself for is a withdrawal from the Golan, but he did not define where such a withdrawal will be. He proposed that such a withdrawal will be based on a deal proposed by the US that will help Israel maintain its military supremacy and improve its strategic capabilities.

He said the US was not and will not be asked to send its forces to make patrols in the Golan, asserting that Israel will continue its determination to withdraw from south Lebanon by July, the date set by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, if a peace agreement is not made between Syria and Israel.