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Syrian President Bashar Assad.
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Last update - 14:51 25/06/2009
U.S. sees Syria as key player for Mideast peace
By Akiva Eldar, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Palestinians, Israel News 

U.S. President Barack Obama's administration is examining a proposed Israeli-Syrian peace plan that is based on demilitarizing the Golan Heights and transforming it, along with a strip of the Jordan Valley, into a nature preserve, or "peace park," that would be open to visitors during the day.

The decision to send an American ambassador to Damascus after a four-year absence, along with the recent visit to the Syrian capital by U.S. Middle East envoy George Mitchell, were meant to prepare the ground for a resumption of Israeli-Syrian talks under American auspices.

A senior diplomatic source told Haaretz yesterday that Washington has concluded that including Syria in the peace process is key to the effort to bring about an internal Palestinian reconciliation, without which the chances of progress on the Israeli-Palestinian track are small.
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The Americans believe the crisis in Iran has created an opportunity for the United States to draw Syria closer and resume Israel-Syria negotiations, the source added.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has encouraged Obama to recruit Syrian President Bashar Assad's support for Egypt's efforts to achieve reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas by July 7. Under the Egyptian proposal, all the various Palestinian factions would set up a joint committee, answerable to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, to govern the Gaza Strip. The main obstacle to this proposal is Khaled Meshal, the Hamas politburo chief, who is based in the Syrian capital.

Uri Saguy, who headed Israel's negotiating team with Syria during Ehud Barak's term as prime minister, said in a lecture in Jerusalem several days ago that Assad is not exaggerating when he says it is possible to consider 80 percent of the differences between Israel and Syria as having already been resolved.

Saguy pointed out that the main obstacle was not water rights or security arrangements, but where the border would pass. He said the Syrians' attitude changed when they realized that the June 4, 1967 lines are less advantageous to them than the international border in certain important respects. It was at that point, he said, that they agreed to discuss proposals for bridging the gaps on the border issue, including the notion of a "peace park."

Fred Hoff, who serves as Mitchell's deputy and is charged with the Syrian and Lebanese files, put forth a proposal under which much of the Golan Heights would be turned into a nature reserve open to visitors from both Israel and Syria during the day. The demilitarized area would be under international supervision, led by U.S. officers, while the pullout and dismantlement of Israeli settlements on the Golan would be carried out over several years, in parallel with a normalization of ties between Syria and Israel.

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      1.   One more Israeli general ,like losers Rabin ,Barak and Sharon 02:48  |  Absolute Sweden 25/06/09
      2.   Never - The Golan Is Israel - How Many More Dictators Will Obama 02:49  |  jm 25/06/09
      3.   Americans also studying proposal about pigs that can fly 02:51  |  A Nice Fellow 25/06/09
      4.   Syria? I would bet on Pago Pago before Syria 02:56  |  Jasper 25/06/09
      5.   US is blind, or trick me once shame on you, trick me twice shame 03:21  |  Moshe 25/06/09
      6.   The Two Handled Whipsaw 03:35  |  Mark Lincoln 25/06/09
      7.   No such thing 03:49  |  Walter Roth 25/06/09
      8.   War and Peace 03:51  |  Bazmann 25/06/09
      9.   The Obama Administration Has Lost Its Marbles 04:00  |  Jeff Northridge 25/06/09
      10.   Disgusted by Obama`s lies 04:25  |  Yuck 25/06/09
      11.   losing it 04:39  |  E 25/06/09
      12.   The End Game Player 05:29  |  Shimon Cleopas 25/06/09
      13.   Support of Syria can be the bargain of the century 06:46  |  Natallie Durson 25/06/09
      14.   #9, Jeff Northridge 07:16  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 25/06/09
      15.   Not A Bad Idea. Pacify The Neighborhood Thug Give Them Lebanon 07:35  |  Eli 25/06/09
      16.   #6: not encouraging 07:36  |  Paul Freedman 25/06/09
      17.   Syria as key player ?!? 07:57  |  Avraham 25/06/09
      18.   Alright... 09:48  |  Yosemite 25/06/09
      19.   The ever changing scenario. 09:51  |  Stephen. 25/06/09
      20.   Cipora Julianna Kohn-#9-Syria is the key 10:02  |  Daniel Leopold 25/06/09
      21.   Avraham # 17 and the key player 10:04  |  Westwell 25/06/09
      22.   Go Ahead America! 10:25  |  AlfaRu 25/06/09
      23.   Key players in ME 10:27  |  Michael 25/06/09
      24.   If only.... 10:31  |  Esther 25/06/09
      25.   Jeff Northridge #9 and the Marbles 10:44  |  Westwell 25/06/09
      26.   poor ideology 10:47  |  hich 25/06/09
      27.   #20, Daniel Leopold 10:52  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 25/06/09
      28.   #24, Esther 12:05  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 25/06/09
      29.   Bring back Tzipi Livni 12:13  |  Majda 25/06/09
      30.   realy? 13:22  |  patriot 25/06/09
      31.   key player 13:41  |  oz 25/06/09
      32.   #13, Durson: Gee, Sounds Like Iran. A Bargain Too? 16:02  |  Alex 25/06/09
      33.   Jeff, Stephen, Cipora & others: long live negativity! 16:08  |  ivo 25/06/09
      34.   WTF !!! Isn`t Syria on the US list of states sponsering terror ?? 17:27  |  Akiva P 25/06/09
      35.   Syria as a parc service 17:37  |  17 25/06/09
      36.   Golan not a one power solution 17:38  |  Witness 25/06/09
      37.   Dear Cipora #28.... 19:00  |  Esther 25/06/09
      38.   37 Ester - We need more like you. 20:09  |  David 25/06/09
      39.   Syria is A key 03:03  |  Michael N 26/06/09
      40.   The world of the blind 04:32  |  Brod 26/06/09
      41.   Of cours Syria wants the Golan 18:32  |  Malach HaMavet 26/06/09
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