Look who’s talking peace

According to one public opinion poll, 70 per cent of Israelis oppose surrendering the Golan to Syria in exchange for peace. Fifty-eight per cent of Israelis believe that Olmert is only conducting negotiations to divert the public’s attention away from the latest corruption probe against him.

The response from the Olmert camp is that a peace treaty with Syria would serve Israel’s national interests because it would remove Damascus from the influence of Iran and distance it from the militants of Hizbullah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. “Any peace deal between Israel and Syria would dramatically change the face of the Middle East, in particular by isolating Iran,” said cabinet minister Binyamin Ben Eliezer.

Iran and Hamas have responded by expressing their discontent with the talks between Israel and Syria. Sources close to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said he was unable to conceal his disappointment and surprise at news of the talks. While Hamas has been careful not to openly criticise Syrian President Bashar el-Assad and his government, it too has let it be known how it was ‘extremely disturbed’ to hear news of the pending talks. Hamas officials were even quoted as saying in the Arab media that the movement’s leaders in Damascus were considering moving to Tehran in protest against what they believe is a change in Syria’s strategy. Hence, Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal’s air dash to Tehran for urgent consultations on the latest developments.

The Syrians have done their best to calm Iran by sending Defence Minister Hasan Turkmani to Tehran with a letter from Assad. The minister is reported to have assured the Iranians that Syria would not make any concessions whatsoever to Israel and would never turn its back on its friends.

In a separate move that has embarrassed the Olmert government in Jerusalem, Syria rejected Israel’s demand that Damascus cut its ties with Iran and Hamas and Hizbullah as a pre-condition for signing a peace treaty. Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, who is challenging Olmert for leadership of the ruling Kadima Party, had said earlier that Syria would have to stop supporting Hamas and Hizbullah and cut ties with Iran if any agreement were to happen.

But in Damascus, the state-run Tishrin daily newspaper, which reflects official policy, said that Israel could not lay down conditions ahead of negotiations. “Damascus does not want pre-conditions, that would put the cart before the horse… It does not bargain over its relations with other countries and people,” the newspaper said. “It goes without saying that impossible conditions cannot facilitate the work of negotiators.”

Both Israeli and Arab analysts believe that Assad needs some change to divert attention from his own problems. “Assad is counting on his negotiations with Israel as a personal lifeline — particularly to silence those who still denounce him for his role in the assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri, hosting Hamas, and funneling weapons to Hizbullah,” noted Israeli analyst Mic-hael Oren. “Signing a treaty with Israel, he thinks, will effectively remove his name from America’s list of terrorist sponsors. It’s difficult to arraign a man — or so the popular wisdom holds — who is in line for a Nobel Prize.”

The consensus among both Israelis and Arabs is that neither Olmert nor Assad have the power to sign a historic peace agreement. Olmert is under heavy pressure because of his alleged involvement in financial corruption, while Assad is seen as a dictator whose only goal is to remain in power.

The writer is former diplomatic editor of the London ‘Observer’

ShyamBhatia@compuserve.com