Israel hints at fresh talks on basis of Saudi plan: Syria declared potential partner
By Rashid Husain
RIYADH, Nov 1: The Saudi initiative for Middle East peace could be a “basis for negotiation,” says Israeli Defence Minister Amir Peretz, indicating possibility for fresh talks with the Palestinians after years of stalemate.
During a presentation at Tel Aviv University, the Israeli defence minister said that Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad should not be ruled out as a potential partner for peace, despite his overt support for Hizbollah and Iran.
“I believe that Syria does not belong naturally to this radical axis of evil, despite its support (for radical elements) during the war,” Peretz said of Assad’s secular Baathist regime. “If Assad shows a readiness to break from this radical axis and demonstrate his belief in the pursuit of peace, I believe he will find a partner in Israel.”
Peretz told a gathering of Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies that Israel must spare no effort in attempts to revive Middle East peace negotiations, and to assisting in the establishment of a coalition of moderate nations vis-à-vis the ‘looming Iranian threat.’
Peretz said one of the lessons of Israel’s war against Lebanon-based Hizbollah was the need to strengthen forces of moderation against what he called “the radical axis of evil led by Iran.”
This is the first time that Israelis have indicated that they can work on the Saudi initiative. In the initial days, Tel Aviv had out rightly rejected the Saudi peace initiative adopted by Arab League summit in Beirut in 2,002.
Peretz’ statement comes at a time when there have been reports in the international media of convergence of interest between Riyadh and Tel Aviv in the aftermath of the Lebanon war.
Saudi Arabia and Israel both are weary of growth of Iranian influence in the region, especially since Hezbollah is regarded as an Iranian proxy by both the countries.
There have been regular reports of contacts, even direct meetings between senior officials of the two countries in neutral venues. Saudi Arabia has denied any such meeting and the Israeli prime minister has also not conceded meeting any senior Saudi official.
The Saudi plan calls for a comprehensive peace between Israel and the Arab world, based on a complete Israeli withdrawal from lands it captured in the 1967 Middle East war, the West Bank, Gaza Strip, east Jerusalem and Golan Heights.
Peretz said he was not endorsing the plan. But he was the most senior Israeli official even to publicly consider it. “We could see the Saudi initiative as the basis for negotiation. This does not mean that we are adopting the Saudi initiative, but it can serve as a basis,” Peretz said at an academic conference at Tel Aviv University.
BLAIR TO VISIT MIDEAST: British Prime Minister Tony Blair would make another trip to the Middle East before the year end, his spokesman said on Wednesday, as transatlantic efforts to seek peace in the region are renewed, adds AFP.
The announcement came after a senior British official travelled to Syria this week to sound out Damascus — until now slammed by Washington as a backer of terrorism — to see if it was ready to play a “constructive” role.
“The prime minister, following his visit to Jerusalem, Ramallah and Beirut (in September), said that he would be returning to the region some time later this year and .. it is still his intention to do so,” said Blair’s spokesman.
“The importance he places on getting momentum going in the right direction in the Middle East is still there.”
The announcement of a new trip comes as Britain and the United States consider changing strategy in the region, in particular in Iraq where continuing violence is fuelling questions about how long troops can stay there.
Former US secretary of state James Baker is reported to be working on strategy proposals, including asking Iran and Syria to play a greater role in the region.
This week Sir Nigel Sheinwald, Blair’s most senior foreign policy advisor, travelled to Damascus, meeting Syrian President Assad and other senior figures.
“We all know that Syria is a part of the reality on the ground in the Middle East and it can play either a constructive or a destructive role,” said the Downing Street spokesman.
