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Israeli government too extreme to make peace: Syria's Assad
Sat May 23, 2009 6:48pm EDT
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By Khaled Yacoub Oweis
DAMASCUS (Reuters) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad cast doubt on Saturday on reaching Middle East peace under what he termed as an "extreme" Israeli government but did not rule out resuming talks with the Jewish state.
"The failure of the peace process so far has clearly shown that Israel is the obstacle ... How can a state that was founded on illegal occupation and continues to murder the original inhabitants work toward peace?" Assad said.
"How can a country that has chosen the most extreme government in its history be a partner for peace?" he added.
Assad, who was addressing a foreign ministers' meeting of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), was referring to the Israeli government of right-wing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which took office two months ago.
"We the Arab nations, and especially Syria will not change our view about peace as a strategic goal, including the full return of occupied lands," Assad said in the Syrian capital.
Syria, which along with Iran supports the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, held four rounds of Turkish mediated indirect talks with Israel in 2008 that were formally suspended during the Israeli invasion of Gaza in December.
Damascus was among the most vocal critics of the invasion, which enhanced its position as a self-declared champion of Arab rights, to the ire of the U.S. backed governments of Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attended the OIC meeting and separately met Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal, who lives in exile in Syria, at the Russian embassy.
Lavrov said that Russia believes in the need to maintain contacts with the Palestinian group, despite a cooling of ties between the two sides.
NO "GIFT" TO ISRAEL
Assad urged the 57-nation OIC not to offer Israel what he described as concessions, hinting at remarks by Jordan's King Abdullah that U.S. President Barack Obama was promoting a Middle East peace plan that could involve normalization of ties between Israel and all Muslim nations.
Obama is due to address the Muslim world from Egypt in June, but Egypt's foreign minister did not attend the OIC meeting in the Syrian capital.
"Israel must not be rewarded for its crimes. Any progress on relations, if they exist, must be tied to Israel committing to a just and comprehensive peace, restoring the legitimate rights and withdrawing from the lands it occupies," Assad said.
Syrian political commentator Marwan Kabalan told al-Jazeera Television that Assad's aim was to make sure Obama's speech on June 4 does not leave Syria, which advocates a tough line against Israel, appearing isolated.
Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, the OIC secretary general, said that Muslim countries "cannot offer Israel a gift with Israel refusing to accept international resolutions and the rights of the Palestinian people." Continued...
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