Syria offers peace proposals to Israel

updated 6:45 a.m. ET Sept. 4, 2008

DAMASCUS, Syria - Syrian President Bashar Assad disclosed Thursday that his country has given Turkish mediators an outline of general proposals for peace with Israel and is waiting for Israel's response before holding any face-to-face negotiations.

Assad said the document was intended to serve as the basis for direct talks and that he was waiting for a similar document laying out Israel's starting position. So far, negotiations have been held indirectly through Turkish mediation.

The Syrian president also cautioned that the future of negotiations rested on who becomes prime minister in Israel and whether the new leader will be committed to pursuing peace with Syria.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, the target of several corruption investigations, has announced he will step down after his party chooses a new leader this month. That has left peace prospects with both Syria and the Palestinians uncertain.

Olmert's office refused to comment on the Syrian announcement.

Any direct talks would also have to wait until a new American administration is in place, Assad said, acknowledging the importance of strong U.S. backing for such an effort.

Assad spoke Thursday at the opening of a summit in Damascus with the leaders of France, Turkey and Qatar to discuss Mideast stability and peace.

He did not disclose details of the Syrian proposals, and few details have emerged from four rounds of indirect talks with Israel over the past year.

"We are now discussing a document of principles, which talks about general principles of the peace process which will be the basis for direct negotiations," Assad said.

'Withdrawal line'
He said Syria outlined six points on the issue of the "withdrawal line," a reference to the extent of an Israeli withdrawal from the Golan Heights and a major sticking point over which direct negotiations collapsed in 2000.

Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war.

Assad said the Syrian points were given to the Turkish negotiators "as a deposit." When Israel gives its own proposals to the Turkish side, then the two sides could move to direct negotiations "after a new American administration convinced of the peace process is in place," he said.

Assad has previously said American sponsorship of future negotiations was necessary but after November's U.S. elections bring a new administration to office.

The Syrian leader disclosed that a fifth "decisive" round of indirect talks with Israel in Turkey had been postponed, and said he was waiting for the Israeli political dust to settle, a reference to Olmert's resignation.

"We are waiting now for the Israeli elections to decide the future of this stage," Assad said.

"We want the support of all states, basically France, Qatar and Turkey in order to be assured that the next (Israeli) prime minister will follow the same direction Olmert had followed through his readiness for complete withdrawal from the occupied territories in order for peace to be achieved."

The discussions in Syria's capital followed a one-on-one meeting between French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Assad on Wednesday that also focused on prospects for direct Israeli-Syrian peace talks.

Sarkozy offered France's help to sponsor such negotiations when the time comes.

Thursday's summit followed up on that discussion and other regional issues with the participation of Turkey and Qatar, two other important regional players.

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