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Syrian President Bashar Assad. (AP)
Last update - 12:03 30/03/2008
Official: PM sent 20 messages of peace to Assad, but Syrian Pres. disappointed us
By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Israel, Ehud Olmert 

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has dispatched some 20 messages to Syrian President Bashar Assad during the past year to better assess Syria's intentions before the possible resumption of talks between the two countries, according to a senior minister also in the security-political cabinet.

But the same source said Assad's responses did not meet Israeli expectations and Olmert believes that at this time it is not possible to initiate negotiations with Syria.

For his part, the Syrian president blamed Israel on Saturday for the lack of progress. "Israel has rejected all peace initiatives that have been brought before it during the past three years and has responded with massacres and construction of settlements," he told the Arab League summit which began in Damascus on Saturday.
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According to the senior Israeli minister, most efforts for contact with Syria were made through via Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, but also through others, including U.S. congressmen and various European officials.

The messages to Assad included attempts to understand what the agenda of the talks between the two countries would include, and whether Assad was willing to include in the talks his country's ties with Iran, Hezbollah and Palestinian militant organizations.

But the answers Israel received - and whose content was not made available to Haaretz - were not satisfactory for Israel, according to the senior minister.

"Each one of the envoys returned from Damascus with empty hands," the minister said. "The sense was that Assad is captive in the hands of senior figures of the Syrian regime who are opposed to talks with Israel and are not interested in breaking off the alliance with Iran."

Some of the foreign envoys who met with Assad said that they were surprised to see in his office, alongside photos of his dead father, photographs of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah, which led them to believe that
Syria is strongly committed to an alliance with Iran and Hezbollah.

Meanwhile, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said at a briefing of diplomats at the Labor Party's headquarters in Tel Aviv Friday that "in the end, Israel will meet Syria either in the field of battle or in the negotiating table."

"Syria is a weak country with many problems, but under certain conditions Israel will be willing to open the door to it," Barak added. "Israel considers negotiations with Syria and removing Syria from the circle of extremists as central to its policy."

Barak also referred to the situation along the northern border in his meeting with the foreign diplomats and said that the IDF is readying itself for any eventuality. "It would not be a good idea for someone to try something against us at this time," Barak said.

"We are following what is going on in the North, the growing strength of Hezbollah with Syrian backing and the developments over the border in Syria. Israel is the most powerful country in the region and this is what enables it to stand on guard but also try to seek [peace] agreements," Barak said.

On Friday, Minister of National Infrastructures Benjamin Ben-Eliezer said in an interview on Israel Radio that "Israel is making every effort to restore Syria to the negotiating table. The efforts are constant and are being done through common friends."

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia, which is boycotting the Arab League summit along with Egypt and Jordan, to protest Syrian meddling in Lebanese politics, said on Saturday that Syria should be punished for blocking a resolution to Lebanon's political crisis.

For more than a year, Lebanon has been the scene of a proxy struggle between the United States and its Arab allies, who back Prime Minister Fouad Seniora's government, and Syria, an ally of Iran and the Shi'ite Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

The leaders of Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan embarrassed Assad by boycotting the Damascus summit. In a diplomatic snub, they sent low-level officials instead to the gathering.

Lebanon boycotted the summit completely, accusing Damascus of preventing the election of a new Lebanese president in order to destabilize the country and reassert its control over its neighbor.

On Saturday, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal sharply criticized Syria at a press conference in Riyadh, timed to coincide with the opening speeches of the summit in Damascus. He blamed Syria for blocking an Arab League compromise aimed at resolving the Lebanon presidential crisis.

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      1.   Olmert is Again Deceiving Himself About Everything 03:09  |  Dave Levy 30/03/08
      2.   Iran calls the shots, and nobody is willing to confront Iran. 03:52  |  Fortuna Benmayor 30/03/08
      3.   The heart of the matter 03:54  |  Morris Valentine 30/03/08
      4.   Time has come 04:04  |  Macabee 30/03/08
      5.   Syria, Golan 04:07  |  Arnold Flick 30/03/08
      6.   Syria understands the game Israel plays 04:42  |  Harold 30/03/08
      7.   If Israel wanted peace.... 05:23  |  Joseph Levy 30/03/08
      8.   For harold, # 6, a self-appointed prophet of doom. 05:23  |  Fortuna Benmayor 30/03/08
      9.   A diversionary tactic by Israel - more of the same. 05:29  |  Joe 30/03/08
      10.   A modest proposal 06:45  |  Fair & square 30/03/08
      11.   For Joe, # 9, who thinks the Syrian track isn`t real. 06:51  |  Fortuna Benmayor 30/03/08
      12.   I have no doubts 06:56  |  Rav Harley 30/03/08
      13.   SYRIA IS BUT A PROVINCE OF IRAN 07:24  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 30/03/08
      14.   To hope for peace with the Assad familie is not realistic 07:34  |  Jean Van Daem 30/03/08
      15.   Syria is a weak country. But Syria`s ally is becoming nuclear 08:17  |  Aounist 30/03/08
      16.   Anyone here remembers Iraq? 08:34  |  Maronite 30/03/08
      17.   release Mao,zedong? 08:55  |  Di 30/03/08
      18.   the photographs speek a thousand words 09:21  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 30/03/08
      19.   PM HAS COMMUNICATED? 10:19  |  indrajaya 30/03/08
      20.   Response to Morris Valentine #3 and conclusion to the article. 10:27  |  S 30/03/08
      21.   Olmert is a Fool 10:29  |  Proud Israeli 30/03/08
      22.   Maronite remembering Iraq 10:33  |  ELIAS KHOURY 30/03/08
      23.   Bravo Cipora # 18!! ("the photographs speek a thousand words") 10:34  |  S 30/03/08
      24.   The main problem is not Syria 10:36  |  ELIAS KHOURY 30/03/08
      25.   Joe and his agenda 11:00  |  x-ray 30/03/08
      26.   Khoury-What is a peaceful and fair resolution with the Pals? 11:17  |  Sam 30/03/08
      27.   #6 Israel understands the game Syria plays 11:31  |  Yonatan 30/03/08
      28.   #9 Joe of Free Texas/Occupied Palestine 11:36  |  Yonatan 30/03/08
      29.   Assad and Syria 11:52  |  ari 30/03/08
      30.   Interesting omission 12:30  |  sh 30/03/08
      31.   INDRAJAYA.How do YOU know what was said? 12:32  |  PETER SM 30/03/08
      32.   PM sent 30 ; i have sent none --the result is the same 12:41  |  Sal 30/03/08
      33.   Those nice, sweet, harmless, well-meaning Israelis 12:46  |  Clickfool 30/03/08
      34.   Any chance Israel will evacuate the Golan and its water? 12:49  |  Clickfool 30/03/08
      35.   Syria should load itself with sophisticated weapons. 12:50  |  Dutch Dirk 30/03/08
      36.   Soon the Nazi claque in Syria will cease to exist 13:56  |  Panther Jet 30/03/08
      37.   Israel sent bombs - no ambiguity here 14:00  |  Sarah 30/03/08
      38.   # 31, PETER SM 14:21  |  indrajaya 30/03/08
      39.   Olmert understands things very sloooowly (and he ain`t there yet) 14:27  |  Tosefta 30/03/08
      40.   The obvious omission (Sh #30) 14:43  |  Tosefta 30/03/08
      41.   #24 I totally agree. 15:01  |  Ken 30/03/08
      42.   In between the love notes...... 15:02  |  Natallie Durson 30/03/08
      43.   Assad, the powerless figurehead. 15:22  |  Stephen 30/03/08
      44.   Peace w/Syria 15:32  |  Mohammad 30/03/08
      45.   Land for peace or a peaceful land 15:36  |  allang 30/03/08
      46.   Israel wishes to trade Golan for phoney agreement with Abbas 15:37  |  examiner 30/03/08
      47.   Early and often 15:40  |  Gideon Reader 30/03/08
      48.   #36 Good Halvah 15:43  |  Mohammad 30/03/08
      49.   Assad told the truth 16:18  |  najour 30/03/08
      50.   Give Golan to Syria = 16:44  |  rich 30/03/08
      51.   Official: PM sent 20 messages of peace to Assad. 17:18  |  David Nigel Braham 30/03/08
      52.   israel is dreaming in colour if it thinks Syria will give up its 17:30  |  lakshmi 30/03/08
      53.   Examiner examine your own prejudices 18:06  |  x-ray 30/03/08
      54.   Olmert just cries wolf! It is a lie and he knows it! 18:36  |  Israeli 30/03/08
      55.   To Lakshmi (#52): The colour red 18:49  |  Morris Valentine 30/03/08
      56.   ``For All Haaretz Animal Farm`` 19:25  |  Gil 30/03/08
      57.   Olmerts promises 19:26  |  boris houck 30/03/08
      58.   x-ray . Prejudice is a prerequisite 19:29  |  examiner 30/03/08
      59.   Israel wants peace 19:40  |  Abby 30/03/08
      60.   ABBY (#59) And what is wrong with that ? 20:48  |  Gil 30/03/08
      61.   Gil `a reality check needed` #56 20:48  |  examiner 30/03/08
      62.   ABBY (#59) And what is wrong with that ? 20:49  |  Gil 30/03/08
      63.   INDRAJAYA.Israel ASKED if Syria was prepared to DISCUSS 21:13  |  PETER SM 30/03/08
      64.   Examiner I think that Israel sees as 21:18  |  x-ray 30/03/08
      65.   #39, "Iran is not a natural ally for Syria" 21:33  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 30/03/08
      66.   #49 Assad did not tell the truth 21:54  |  Hoshhosh Effendi 30/03/08
      67.   Examiner (#61) Just stating things as they are 22:02  |  Gil 30/03/08
      68.   EXAMINEER & progressive reality.Give Arabs everything they want 22:12  |  PETER SM 30/03/08
      69.   #23, S 22:25  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn