Honouring a 1948 promise

A Jordan Times Editorial

UN Middle East envoy Terje Roed-Larson emerged from talks with Syrian President Bashar Assad relaying the message that Damascus is ready for peace talks with Israel "without conditions." If this is not an olive branch from Syria, we don't know what is.

Damascus had insisted on starting any new round of peace negotiations with Israel from the point at which they broke off in January 2000. At that time, it was US President Bill Clinton who had tried to broker a peace treaty between Syria and Israel, but then-Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak backed out. In Clinton's memoirs, released this June, the former president said Barak got "cold feet" when the talks reached critical stages. Clinton blamed Barak for the failure of the peace talks, saying Syria had gone as far as possible to arrive at a solution with Israel. It seemed that Barak wanted only to test Syrian willingness to make concessions for peace, but when President Hafez Assad did make legitimate concessions, Barak backed down at the last minute.

Now, the ever uncompromising voice of Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, has sounded again. He, as news agencies reported, "poured cold water" on the Syrian offer. And as usual, Shalom pesters about charges of Syria supporting Hizbollah and Hamas.

In addition, Shalom dismissed British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw's call on Wednesday to pick up with the Middle East peace process between the Palestinians and Israelis according to the Quartet-sponsored roadmap. All Shalom could say was the Palestinians must first "end terror."

Israeli President Moshe Katzav spoke up, however, calling on his government to respond positively to the Assad proposal. He told the Israeli daily Maariv: "In my opinion, it is important to carefully examine Assad's intentions, whether he really wants peace or only wishes to improve his international image." But he also said: "Since 1948, we have always declared that any Arab leader who would come to Israel to hold peace talks is welcome. I think the same response should be given to Assad's proposal."

It is evident that without Syria there can be no peace in the Middle East. Israel made a strategic blunder when it avoided a reasonable and fair deal with Syria. Had the two countries made peace in 2000, the entire Middle East political landscape would have been different. Israel coveted the Syrian Golan Heights more than peace, and for this it is still paying a high price.

Hopefully Israel has learned its lessons after having its fingers burned for making false moves in the past and will now engage Syria in fair and just peace talks that would allow Damascus to regain what Israel had stolen many years ago.

This article was published in the Friday-Saturday, November 26-27, 2004 edition of the Jordan Times. It is used here with permission.