Peres: Israel maintains constant secret contacts with Damascus - Haaretz

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Thu., November 29, 2007 Kislev 19, 5768

Israel Time: 02:22 (EST+7)

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Peres: Israel maintains constant secret contacts with Damascus

By Mijal Grinberg

Israel conducts secret contacts with Syria all the time, but serious negotiations cannot begin until Syria stops supporting terror and ends its involvement in Lebanon, President Shimon Peres said yesterday while touring the Negev.

Referring to Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal's declaration that he would not shake hands with Israeli officials during the Annapolis peace conference, Peres said that "it doesn't matter if they shake hands or not, next time they will."

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The conference was attended by representatives from some 40 countries in an effort to relaunch dormant peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.

"The most interesting thing about the [Annapolis] conference is the large number of Arab nations surrounding one table. The participation of many other countries is also very important."

Peres explained that one of the reasons that compelled some of these nations to attend was Iran, which, "with its extreme policies, threats and scare tactics, many people are beginning to understand that it is not Israel who is dangerous, it is Iran."

When asked about the failures of previous peace summits, the president responded that he won't address the failures because there have also been many successes such as the peace agreements with Jordan and Egypt. "The Middle East looks different today than it did 30 years ago," he said.

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