Last update - 00:00 14/02/2008
Brazilian FM: Assad ready to launch dialogue with Israel
By Haaretz Service
Syrian President Bashar Assad is prepared to launch a dialogue with Israel, Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim told President Shimon Peres on Thursday, the president's office said in a statement.
Peres and Amorim met at the President's official residence in Jerusalem Thursday.
According to Peres' statement, the Brazilian minister arrived in Israel directly from Syria, shortly after meeting with Assad. Amorim told Peres that he and the Syrian president discussed the option of launching peace talks between Syria and Israel.
Peres told Amorim that though Israel is a peace-seeking country, it cannot ignore Assad's past deceptions. "He can't hold out one hand to peace, and with the other hand fund and arm terrorist organizations, namely Hamas and Hezbollah," Peres said.
Amorim asked how Brazil could contribute to the peace process between the two Middle East countries and said "We don't take any one side over the other. We don't care about oil; we are interested in mediating only to resolve the conflict between Israel and its neighbors out of goodwill."
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