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Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
 Reuters
Last update - 17:16 25/03/2009
Assad says Syria-Israel talks depend on clear U.S. position
By Yoav Stern, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Israel News, Syria 

A clear position by the United States on Israel-Syria peace negotiations is essential to progress in the talks, Syrian President Bashar Assad told a Lebanese daily in an interview published Wednesday.

In light of the absence of such a position, Assad told as-Safir, significant progress was unlikely in the near future.

"We don't expect much, at least in the foreseeable future, within this framework," Assad said. "Especially since [U.S. President Barack Obama] has announced clear positions on Iraq and Afghanistan, but we haven't heard an American position yet on the peace process."
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The Syrian leader also reiterated his assertion that Damascus would engage in peace talks with any Israeli government, whatever its political orientation.

"The government in Israel is a government, not left or right," he said.

Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, sent a message to Syria before last month's election promising that a government under him would "not provoke war" and would be interested in "seriously and genuinely exploring" a peace process.

In January, officials from Netanyahu's Likud party met with senior Syrian figures in Washington to prepare the ground for further exchanges after Israel's next government takes office, Likud sources said.

The officials, however, did not express any willingness to make concessions or withdraw from the Golan Heights, as Assad says is necessary
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  1.   Translation please 16:14  |  Miriam 25/03/09
  2.   We should not abandon the Golan Hights. 16:16  |  Jean Van Daem 25/03/09
  3.   Common sense. 16:19  |  Jean Van Daem 25/03/09
  4.   #1 Miriam 16:29  |  Lou Medel 25/03/09
  5.   Miriam 16:39  |  Le Corbeau 25/03/09
  6.   Always an excuse 18:01  |  David Zukerman 25/03/09
  7.   No translation needed, #5 18:09  |  David Zukerman 25/03/09
  8.   Deal 18:35  |  Mike 25/03/09
  9.   LE CORBEAU#5 IS WRONG, A TRANSLATION IS NEEDED AND HERE IT IS... 18:43  |  MOSHEH 25/03/09
  10.   MOSHEH 19:24  |  Le Corbeau 25/03/09
  11.   Will not climb out on limb 19:41  |  Mark Lincoln 25/03/09
  12.   Let`s see here, Syria gets the Golan. 19:59  |  4:20 25/03/09
  13.   David Zukerman 20:13  |  Le Corbeau 25/03/09
  14.   Who cares what assad says,reject his words and reject him! He 20:51  |  glenna 25/03/09
  15.   Answer to #4 - Lou Mendel 21:11  |  Col [Res] Cohen 25/03/09
  16.   Assad and his distractions 21:42  |  Brod 25/03/09
  17.   #15 Dear Col [Res] Cohen 21:58  |  Lou Medel 25/03/09
  18.   # 7 zukerman, i`m NOT a leftist; and le corbeau is right!(3rd try 09:12  |  eric 27/03/09
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