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Last update - 05:50 30/11/2008
Bush to Olmert: Why are you giving Syria the Golan for nothing?
By Aluf Benn, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Ehud Olmert, Syria 

WASHINGTON - U.S. President George Bush believes that Israel is offering Syria the Golan Heights without getting anything in exchange, according to sources briefed on his White House meeting with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert last week.

After Olmert updated Bush on Israel's indirect talks with Syrian President Bashar Assad, the U.S. president demanded, "Why do you want to give Assad the Golan for nothing?" the sources said.

"It's not for nothing," Olmert insisted. "It's in exchange for a change in the region's strategic alignment."
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Bush persisted: "Why should you believe him?" And to that, Olmert did not reply.

The Bush administration has long had reservations about Israel's talks with Syria and refuses to play any active role in them. Infuriated by Syria's involvement in anti-American terror in Iraq, as well as its undermining of Lebanon's fragile democracy, Bush preferred to invest his diplomatic capital in Israeli-Palestinian talks, while eschewing contacts with the Syrians.

Olmert tried to explain the strategic importance that Israel attaches to the talks with Syria, describing the Middle East as being defined by two axes: an extremist "horizontal axis" running from Iran via Syria to Hezbollah and Hamas, and a pragmatic "vertical axis" running from Turkey via Syria to Israel, Jordan and Egypt. Syria, Olmert argued, sits at the intersection of these two axes. Thus should it switch its allegiance to the "vertical axis," this would greatly weaken the extremists and strengthen the pragmatists.

Olmert also believes that Bashar Assad has moved much closer to Iran than his father Hafez ever did. Today, he said, Damascus is locked in an Iranian "bear hug" that threatens the very existence of its secular regime. That, combined with Syria's dismal economy, creates an opportunity to flip Assad into the moderate camp, the premier argued.

U.S. President-elect Barack Obama favors American dialogue with Syria, and would presumably agree to take an active role in Israeli-Syrian talks. Aaron Miller, a veteran of former president Bill Clinton's peace team, published an article in The Washington Post Saturday in which he urged Obama to adopt a "Syria first" strategy.


Related articles:
  • Report: Bush offered to press Israel to quit Golan if Syria cuts Iran ties
  • Carter: U.S. would not stand in way of Israel-Syria peace deal
  • Officials: U.S. vital to relaunching Syria talks
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      1.   Take no notice of that has-been Bush... 06:02  |  Silvienne 30/11/08
      2.   #1 you`re wrong 06:41  |  dave s. 30/11/08
      3.   Silvienne..the moving trucks are also at Olmerts door... 06:47  |  Nemesis 30/11/08
      4.   Actually Bush is right on this one... 06:53  |  Nemesis 30/11/08
      5.   Yesterdays men? 07:09  |  Manny Goldstein 30/11/08
      6.   #3, Nemesis....if there were any justice... 07:19  |  Silvienne 30/11/08
      7.   Has Olmert Completely Lost His Mind? 07:24  |  massaraksh 30/11/08
      8.   EXACTLY..... WHY is Olmert giving the Golan to Syria for NOTHING? 07:26  |  Dagma 30/11/08
      9.   Syria is a neighbour - like it or not 07:28  |  Palestinian Brit 30/11/08
      10.   The worst government since Moses led us from slavery 07:31  |  Steve 30/11/08
      11.   "why are you giving Syria the Golan for nothing?" 07:39  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 30/11/08
      12.   L`enfer c`est les autres 07:45  |  Steve 30/11/08
      13.   Olmert on track? 08:03  |  Jim 30/11/08
      14.   IT`S LUDICROUS TO GIVE UP GOLAN!!!! 08:59  |  dr eric 30/11/08
      15.   Both Are Irrevelant 09:09  |  Nostradamus 30/11/08
      16.   #6 Nostradamus FAILS his CURRENT affairs 09:46  |  CK Tan 30/11/08
      17.   Answer: UN Resolutions 242 & 338 09:50  |  Bryan 30/11/08
      18.   At least Bush isn`t heading to prison 11:47  |  Ilan 30/11/08
      19.   Exactly what we`re thinking 12:10  |  JS 30/11/08
      20.   Olmert 12:19  |  Bruno Tercatin 30/11/08
      21.   Even Bush is smart enough to see this is a dumb idea! 13:19  |  Raymond in DC 30/11/08
      22.   Syria will NOT sever ties with Iran as part of PEACE deal 13:44  |  CK Tan 30/11/08
      23.   The golan aint going no where 14:00  |  George 30/11/08
      24.   #9 Palestinian Brit 14:04  |  George 30/11/08
      25.   Olmert is insane 15:36  |  Gene 30/11/08
      26.   Bush has more sense than olmert! 16:11  |  Arie 30/11/08
      27.   Bush to Olmert: Why are you giving Syria the Golan for nothing 16:12  |  joseph 30/11/08
      28.   To pali Brit:Good fences make good neighbours! 16:14  |  Arie 30/11/08
      29.   The curiously timed shift 16:33  |  Mark Lincoln 30/11/08
      30.   Bush is Right 16:33  |  Ron 30/11/08
      31.   WHERE ARE RESIGNATIONS IN ISRAEL? WHERE IS THE PROTEST? 16:34  |  James Mcfarland 30/11/08
      32.   Stupidity of Bush is well established 16:52  |  dan 30/11/08
      33.   to #11 Cipora 16:59  |  Arab Syrian 30/11/08
      34.   Arab Siryan, Olmert is under investigation, not the one to speak 17:30  |  Simon 30/11/08
      35.   Because he`s olmert! 17:41  |  Arie 30/11/08
      36.   Bush sends secret letter to Assad: Quit Iran and I?ll get Israel 17:43  |  David Turner 30/11/08
      37.   #18 llan 17:45  |  Jim 30/11/08
      38.   Bush and Olmert are middle-term history, like Mickey Mouse ..... 17:48  |  Tom Lobo Meyer 30/11/08
      39.   Not for nothing 17:57  |  Jan Elshout 30/11/08
      40.   #20 Bruno Tercatin 17:57  |  Jim 30/11/08
      41.   everything you know about B`s failure in his question 18:05  |  Shelley 30/11/08
      42.   #14 Dr. Erection 18:06  |  hmm 30/11/08
      43.   To Arab Syrian 18:07  |  Oleg 30/11/08
      44.   #25 Gene 18:13  |  Jim 30/11/08
      45.   Bush now sees Olmert to be the total idiot we all knew existed 18:20  |  Livin In Rishon 30/11/08
      46.   Money wired by Arabs to Swiss Accounts would be Olmerts style 18:27  |  Olmerts cellmate 30/11/08
      47.   #28 Arie 18:30  |  Jim 30/11/08
      48.   "Why are you giving Golan to Syria" 18:50  |  Judith Roshit 30/11/08
      49.   To Arie - Good fences make good neibhors 18:59  |  Judith Roshit 30/11/08
      50.   bush and neocon&co mwant war and/or regime change in syria 19:19  |  observant 30/11/08
      51.   Ehud Olmert just another Middle Eastern dictaitor 20:15  |  zionist forever 30/11/08
      52.   Bush to Olmert: Why are you giving Syria the Golan for nothing? 20:15  |  gidon ben yoash 30/11/08
      53.   George lately of Beit Jala 20:17  |  Palestinian Brit 30/11/08
      54.   Arie - but this is not a GOOD fence! 20:20  |  Palestinian Brit 30/11/08
      55.   Judith - right on the nail! 20:23  |  Palestinian Brit 30/11/08
      56.   and the answer is 20:31  |  mapi 30/11/08
      57.   #47-why are you giving sysria the golan. 20:41  |  joseph 30/11/08
      58.   A Better Question 20:52  |  Mark of Lewiston 30/11/08
      59.   #49 Judith Roshit 21:38  |  Jim 30/11/08
      60.   To Palestinian Brit 21:47  |  Oleg 30/11/08
      61.   olmert is even more stupid than bush 22:02  |  michel 30/11/08
      62.   Olmert - Too Ashamed to Tell Bush Why 22:05  |  Tod Zuckerman 30/11/08
      63.   Oleg? 22:12  |  Arab Syrian 30/11/08
      64.   Poor Judith (#48) 22:28  |  Steve 30/11/08
      65.   bush to olmert 22:32  |  h gadban 30/11/08
      66.   #59 Jim--I can see lots of posts heading your way 22:45  |  Labhras 30/11/08
      67.   #33, Arab Syrian 22:48  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 30/11/08
      68.   RE#39 22:51  |  Hub Dumont 30/11/08
      69.   Unbelieveable 22:51  |  Peter Williams 30/11/08
      70.   Cowboys politics 22:52  |  yoil 30/11/08
      71.   TO h gadban: Let Arabs Show the World How to Do It 22:54  |  massaraksh 30/11/08
      72.   Wise words from a wise man <