(Ha'aretz) Aluf Benn and Gideon Alon - Israel would be happy to begin peace talks with Syria, but only if Syria first ends its support for terrorist organizations, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said Sunday. "Syria should stop the help and support for terrorist agents, and if that happens, I believe Israel will be ready," Sharon said. He added that Israel, as a peace-loving nation, was naturally interested in talks with Syria, but questioned whether Damascus really wanted peace, or was merely trying to ease the American pressure it was currently under. Earlier, Sharon told the cabinet that "we shouldn't rush to embrace the Syrians before thoroughly investigating what lies behind the Syrian initiative." He also said, "Just as we demand that the Palestinians dismantle terror [groups] before beginning negotiations, we make the same demand of the Syrians." (Ha'aretz) Israel is conditioning renewed talks with Syria on its halting all support for Palestinian terror groups, senior Israeli officials have indicated. Defense establishment officials believe halting Syrian aid to Palestinian terror groups is an even higher priority than ending Syria's backing for Hizballah in Lebanon. Intelligence officials believe Syrian-supported Hizballah activity among Palestinians has stepped up. "We continue to track what Assad is saying and also, more importantly, what he does," an official in Prime Minister Sharon's office said. "As things stand now, since Assad is doing the opposite of what he is saying, it does not appear the time [for peace talks] has come."
2004-01-12 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive