Israeli paper: The Syrian track has not finished in Geneva

The Israeli daily Haaretz said on Tuesday in its analysis written by Israeli analyst Ze'ev Schiff that the Syrian track has not ended in Geneva and that the same assessment has been made in Washington and Israel, and it seems that the same assessment is felt in Damascus, asserting that following the failed summit between Syrian President Hafez al-Assad and US President Bill Clinton, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak enters a dangerous phase in the talks.

The Israeli paper added that the US pressure will be directed now to Israel in order to give another concession in order to salvage the peace process.

The paper continued that the US pressure against Israel will be moral to a large extent, because no other pressure can be made against Israel during the period of the US elections.

Israeli Radio added that the question is whether the negative developments which took place at the Geneva summit increase the chances of an eruption of war.

It continued that the prediction of a war between Israel and Syria seems very exaggerated, since it is doubted that Syria would start a war by attacking Israel.

The paper said it may be right to speak about a deterioration on the Lebanese front.

The paper said the Americans believed before the convening of the summit that the Syrians were ready to give concessions over the lake of Tabaraya in a way that pleases Israel, but instead the Syrians stressed their demand in the lake and also refused the setting up of an Israeli early warning station on the Golan.

The paper said that al-Assad's message to Barak and Clinton was that the Syrians do not fear the possibility of unilateral withdrawal from south Lebanon and that al-Assad will not permit a unilateral withdrawal to be an Israeli card against Syria.