Don't turn Syria away - Haaretz - Israel News

Don't turn Syria away - Haaretz - Israel News: "Once again, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert turned down the offers yesterday of Syrian President Bashar Assad and his foreign minister, Walid Mualem, to renew the peace talks between the two countries. The relative softening heard in the Syrian stance, with its willingness to embark on negotiations without preconditions, did not affect Olmert's position. Nor did the timing of the call from Damascus, which was directed at the Western media, just when Iran was holding a conference on denial of the Holocaust. Assad was signaling that he does not share the call of his ally, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, for the destruction of Israel.

The argument presented by Olmert for rejecting the offer from Damascus is the position of the United States. According to the prime minister, at a time when President George W. Bush is demanding that Syria cease incitement toward war, it is not appropriate for Israel to embark on negotiations with Assad. Furthermore, Assad's motives for renewing the negotiations do not overlap with those of Israel. " Read complete post here.