Syrian official: After IAF raid, Israel can forget about peace - Haaretz

Subscribe to Print Edition

Wed., September 26, 2007 ,

Israel Time: 18:22 (EST+7)

web haaretz.com

Back to Homepage

Print Edition

Diplomacy

Defense

Arts & Leisure

Real Estate

Jewish World

National

Advertising

Magazine

Week's End

Business

Opinion

Rosner's Domain

Anglo File

Books

Travel

del.icio.us

Digg It! new

Last update - 16:51 24/09/2007

Syrian official: After IAF raid, Israel can forget about peace

By Reuters

An Israeli raid on Syria has all but finished off chances for resuming peace talks between the two foes, Syrian officials said on Monday.

In the first clear reaction to the reported September 6 Israeli air strike, officials told Reuters Syria was wary of retaliating against Israel given the military superiority of the Jewish state and because of lack of Arab support.

	Advertisement

Another reason was Damascus's changing relationship with Russia, an ally during the Communist era.

The officials were dismissive about any new peace talks, which collapsed in 2000 over the scope of an Israeli pullout from the Golan Heights, a 1,750 square km (676 square mile) plateau which the Jewish state captured from Syria in 1967.

"After this raid, you can forget about peace. It is no secret that our forces have been on alert for some time, but Syria will not be the first to start a war," said one of the Syrian officials, who asked not to be named.

"Arab states have not exactly rallied in our support. As for peace, the international picture could start changing late next year with a new administration in Washington," another official said.

Even Moscow, a strong backer of Syria in the days of the Soviet Union, did not directly condemn the Israeli action, in which Syria says planes bombed an empty area after air defence systems confronted them. Israel has not disclosed the target.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Sultanov advised Syrian officials not to go after Israel at the United Nations beyond a protest letter, according to a diplomat familiar with Sultanov's recent meetings in Damascus.

During last year's war between Hezbollah and Israel, Russia told Damascus not to use Russian missiles to target Israel if the war extended to involve Syria.

Diplomats say at least four Israeli warplanes crossed deep into Syria in this month's operation. They suggest the intended target may have involved missiles supplied by North Korea but played down reports of a nuclear link.

Days after the raid, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert dropped Israel's insistence that Syria abandon support for the Lebanese movement Hezbollah and the Palestinian group Hamas before any peace talks could start.

Western diplomats in Damascus said Syrian officials told them Syria did not take Olmert's statements seriously.

"Peace with Israel is not a priority for Syria when it has Lebanon and the Hariri investigation to deal with," one said.

The diplomat was referring to upcoming Lebanese presidential elections and a United Nations investigation into the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese premier Rafik al-Hariri.

The probe implicated Lebanese and Syrian security officials in the killing.

Another diplomat said the Israeli raid has made it difficult for Syria to use channels it had previously used to relay peace messages to Israel, especially Turkey.

"Syria would appear very weak if it approaches Israel anytime soon. On the other hand Syria knows that any war with Israel would set it back decades," he said.

Bookmark to del.icio.us


	Dead or alive
	How can a person be deemed dead by modern medicine if his heart continues to beat?


	Betting against Grant
	After one match as manager of Chelsea, the English press is already listing replacements.




1.	GREAT!IN MESSIAH TIMES DAMASCUS WILL BECOME A SUBURB OF JERUSALEM	16:07	\|	VOICE of MOSHIACH)))	24/09/07

2.	Hardy Har Har	16:12	\|	Danite	24/09/07

3.	Hardy Har Har	16:12	\|	Danite	24/09/07

4.	Syria saves the day- again	16:29	\|	Kenny	24/09/07

5.	Before the strike we couldn`t think about peace either!!	16:35	\|	Alain	24/09/07

6.	Ruining Chances for Peace	16:36	\|	Joe	24/09/07

7.	Before the strike we couldn`t think about peace either!!	16:36	\|	Alain	24/09/07

8.	BooHoo. "Peace" w. Syria is worthless. Ask Lebanon.	16:46	\|	Dr. L. Brnd	24/09/07

9.	After Syrian attempt to get nukes from N.Korea, Syria is not....	16:47	\|	Vittorio	24/09/07

10.	I am laughing at this report	16:48	\|	Sami	24/09/07

11.	No chance of peace before the strike either	16:50	\|	Mike	24/09/07

12.	Peace in our Time.	16:51	\|	Jack	24/09/07

13.	The Precise Purpose	16:51	\|	Clickfool	24/09/07

14.	Retaliation, not initiation	16:56	\|	Harold	24/09/07

15.	What a dilemma	16:56	\|	dovale	24/09/07

16.	"Planes Bombed An Empty Area"	16:58	\|	Clickfool	24/09/07

17.	Israel has become a warmongering country..without it, it dies	17:00	\|	Observor	24/09/07

18.	Syria never wanted peace in the first place	17:00	\|	Shepherd	24/09/07

19.	OF COURSE THEY WOULDNT ATTACK	17:03	\|	JOHN	24/09/07

20.	I concur with the above posts...awaiting the FOOLS to chime in	17:04	\|	Dave from Chicago	24/09/07

21.	Then It Wasn`t Happening anyway	17:05	\|	dyinglikeflies	24/09/07

22.	as if syria was ever interested in peace in the first place	17:06	\|	matt	24/09/07

23.	SYRIA WILL WIN	17:11	\|	indrajaya	24/09/07

24.	#3 Danite; are you dreaming again?	17:15	\|	ballistic	24/09/07

25.	Goshens, just soooo upsetting	17:17	\|	David Teich	24/09/07

26.	fake peace	17:20	\|	david	24/09/07

27.	Peace doesn`t exist	17:21	\|	Brod	24/09/07

28.	Syrial Liars!	17:27	\|	Rabs	24/09/07

29.	Indrajaya #23	17:34	\|	Brod	24/09/07

30.	VOICE of MOSHIACH))).... stop halucinating!	17:38	\|	ME Observer	24/09/07

31.	To #22	17:39	\|	Mike	24/09/07

32.	GODD RESPONSE FRONM SYRIA...	17:43	\|	TrippleJump	24/09/07

33.	#17 showing a lack of historical knowledge	17:44	\|	youth worker	24/09/07

34.	`Peace` never really on the table anyway	17:50	\|	Chick	24/09/07

35.	To the Voice of Mashiakh	17:50	\|	jon purizhansky	24/09/07

36.	Peace Agreement	17:51	\|	P. J. Casey	24/09/07

37.	Syria	17:52	\|	JJ	24/09/07

38.	PEACE MY ***	17:55	\|	JJ	24/09/07

39.	clickfool # 16	17:56	\|	Jack	24/09/07

40.	Clickfool - I am an Idiot, therfore I exist	18:00	\|	Fish	24/09/07

41.	clickie @16	18:02	\|	scanadu	24/09/07

42.	WE HAVE HAD PEACE SINCE `73	18:05	\|	SM	24/09/07

43.	Ballistic # 24	18:07	\|	ChanahS	24/09/07

44.	Assad`s days are numbered - Seen as weakling	18:09	\|	B`Galil	24/09/07

45.	#17. Clicky The "Brave"	18:10	\|	Peter	24/09/07

46.	Observor (sic) # 17	18:14	\|	ChanahS	24/09/07

47.	The demise of Israel	18:16	\|	Harold	24/09/07

48.	to Clickfool	18:17	\|	LanceL	24/09/07

49.	Syria clearly has something to hide	18:19	\|	Jon	24/09/07

50.	to Clickfool	18:19	\|	Sol	24/09/07

51.	Nicely played Syria, good confirmation of our success.	18:21	\|	Margie in Tel Aviv	24/09/07

52.	We will happily forget.....Thank you Syria...	18:23	\|	cv	24/09/07

53.	to indrajaya	18:25	\|	Sol	24/09/07

54.	YOU KNOW WHO WILL PAY THE PRICE FOR ISRAELI AND SYRIAN BICKERING?	18:39	\|	khalad	24/09/07

55.	Israel can forget	18:42	\|	Shmuelshachor	24/09/07

56.	indrajaya - your funny	18:42	\|	bf	24/09/07

57.	Brod # 29	18:43	\|	accountability	24/09/07

58.	Clickfool - Then tell us why the Syrians are hiding...	18:44	\|	x	24/09/07

59.	Then you can forget about the Golan Heights!!	18:46	\|	Ryan	24/09/07

60.	They didn`t say there would be peace,either	19:01	\|	Paul	24/09/07

61.	Clicky: If it was an empty area then why...	19:02	\|	Avi	24/09/07

62.	Amnesia	19:03	\|	Paul	24/09/07

63.	Suburbs	19:05	\|	Paul	24/09/07

64.	To ChanahS#46... THE PALESTINIANS ARE ALSO SPECIAL	19:08	\|	ME Observer	24/09/07

65.	Translation: peace with Israel = ability to nuke them	19:10	\|	Gili	24/09/07

66.	It must be very highly appreciated that, statesmanlike, ...	19:14	\|	J.M.Jordan	24/09/07

67.	interesting times	19:17	\|	eddie	24/09/07

68.	Wait a minute...	19:25	\|	Chris	24/09/07

69.	What`s new?	19:29	\|	Esther	24/09/07

70.	ACCORDING TO SYRIA, WE JUST	19:30	\|	Robert	24/09/07

71.	No Peace - I guess we`ll have to keep the Golan.	19:34	\|	Lemmings Hotline	24/09/07

72.	Syria	19:42	\|	siegfried buchwalte	24/09/07

73.	As to the post #17 (Observer) here a faithful quote	19:48	\|	J.M.Jordan	24/09/07

74.	#23 indrajaya,dreaming,dreaming.....	20:01	\|	TOMY	24/09/07

75.	Lion Of Syria vs Lion Of Judah	20:01	\|	Nicky	24/09/07

76.	ClickFOOL and the emptiness	20:19	\|	Jonathan S	24/09/07

77.	We still have no idea of what the raid was about	20:20	\|	Paul Freedman	24/09/07

78.	There will be peace with Syria	20:25	\|	Jonathan S	24/09/07

79.	Syria is Israels pet	20:31	\|	ken	24/09/07

80.	IS Syria daring enough...	20:39	\|	Steven Mcgarret	24/09/07

81.	games no chance of peace before syria does not want peace. no gol	20:50	\|	ralph	24/09/07

82.	Revenge is a dish best served cold: Indrajaya	21:13	\|	Joshua Seren	24/09/07

83.	# 64 ME Observer	21:19	\|	ChanahS	24/09/07

84.	Sepr Daniyel2:15	21:25	\|	Paul	24/09/07

85.	You are wise!	21:29	\|	Paul	24/09/07

86.	ballistic	21:49	\|	danite	24/09/07

87.	indrajaya - say hello to microbes	21:59	\|	natan	24/09/07

88.	Khalad # 54	22:37	\|	ChanahS	24/09/07

89.	indrajaya....it prophesied....	23:26	\|	maria	24/09/07

90.	the prophecy in the book of daniel.....	23:32	\|	maria	24/09/07

91.	Think about peace	23:33	\|	Paul	24/09/07

92.	nicky....the lion of judah	23:34	\|	maria	24/09/07

93.	My #85	23:36	\|	Paul	24/09/07

94.	"V" FOR VICTORY!	23:38	\|	ROLAND SEENER	24/09/07

95.	Forget about peace	23:38	\|	Paul	24/09/07

96.	#24 Ballistic - your colors are showing	23:50	\|	* BEN JABO	24/09/07

97.	Always looking for an excuse	23:56	\|	William	24/09/07

98.	Good, cause "peace" would have meant..	23:57	\|	Micha	24/09/07

99.	If you wish the destruction of Indonesia, so be it.	23:59	\|	Micha	24/09/07

100.	#54 khalad - melbourne	00:00	\|	* BEN JABO	25/09/07

101.	Israel fears peace much more than war	00:41	\|	Tim	25/09/07

102.	War and Peace	00:48	\|	ATLAS	25/09/07

103.	ISRAEL NEEDS THE GOLAN MORE THAN ASSADS SIGNATURE	00:50	\|	zionist forever	25/09/07

104.	Re: 54	00:54	\|	zionist forever	25/09/07

105.	#99 *Ben Jabo. Ariel Sharon`s moment of truth...	01:45	\|	Maureen Ann	25/09/07

106.	Ah	02:20	\|	Colin Wright	25/09/07

107.	True Characteristics coming around	02:52	\|	Paul	25/09/07

108.	Nope!There is no peace for Syria	02:57	\|	Paul	25/09/07

109.	Meta Tauta	03:03	\|	Paul	25/09/07

110.	396 You have got to be kidding William...	03:08	\|	Johnboy	25/09/07

111.	And what did anyone expect?	04:08	\|	Mark Lincoln	25/09/07

112.	me observer....why they`re there .....	05:26	\|	maria	25/09/07

113.	the muslim world doesn`t want peace	05:36	\|	maria	25/09/07

114.	Moron Ann	05:42	\|	* BEN JABO	25/09/07

115.	#99-2 Moron Ann	05:43	\|	* BEN JABO	25/09/07

116.	#99-3 Moron Ann - about the stolen water	21:38	\|	* BEN JABO	25/09/07

117.	Good things come to those who wait	01:35	\|	spyguy	26/09/07

118.	#117 Spyguy - back to spyschool	18:10	\|	* BEN JABO	26/09/07

119.	#101 Tim - you`ve no idea	18:13	\|	* BEN JABO	26/09/07

Today Online


	Rosner: Ahmadinejad, cruel or not, is a world-class celebrity
	Responses: 135


	Syria willing to transfer disputed Shaba Farms to UN custody
	Responses: 138


	Wife of abducted IDF soldier blames Iran for kidnapping
	Responses: 269


	Settlers plan to set up 5 new West Bank outposts over Sukkot
	Responses: 93


	Haarez TV: The gov't lures citizens back to Israel with incentives
	Responses: 22

Rosner's Domain

* Wisse: Israeli self-blame for what the Arabs have done to themselves

* Ahmadinejad and the city

* Rosner's Mailbox: Serving interfaith couples

* WTR: House vs. the Syrian/North Korean cooperation

More Headlines
18:22 IDF kills nine Palestinians in Gaza Strip


17:33 IDF: Rockets discovered in W. Bank not operational


18:13 Rabbis set up alternate kashrut authority for produce in shmita year


16:58 Bank of Israel proposes that state bank fund Gaza banks


17:38 In response to Jewish protest, Serbia bans planned neo-Nazi march


18:02 Chabad to hold water-drawing fete despite rabbinic ban


13:29 Israel ranked 30th out of 180 countries in Corruption Index


11:42 Syria willing to transfer disputed Shaba Farms to UN custody


13:31 Gov't bans Hebron settlers from winterizing controversial house