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President Shimon Peres (Daniel Bar-On / Jini)
Last update - 21:17 29/05/2008
Peres: If Assad wants peace, he should come to Jerusalem
By Haaretz Service
Tags: Shimon Peres 

President Shimon Peres on Thursday said that if Syrian President Bashar Assad is serious about reaching peace with Israel, he should either visit Jerusalem or invite the prime minister to Damascus for talks.

"If [former] Egyptian President Anwar Sadat has not come to Jerusalem and addressed the Knesset, there would not have been peace with Egypt," Peres told Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen.

The president also said that peace negotiations with the Palestinians were progressing, although he admitted that it was doubtful a detailed peace agreement could be reached by the end of the year.
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Peres told Rasmussen that Iran was aspiring toward religious hegemont in the Middle East, and has already gained the assistance of Hezbollah and Hamas for that goal.

"Hamas, which is an extension of Iran, continues to fire rockets on our children, despite Israel having evacuated settlements and soldiers from Gaza," Peres said.

For his part, Rasmussen affirmed Denmark's support for Israel "in the war on terror," adding he wished to compliment the efforts to return to peace negotiations with the Palestinians. He also said Denmark hoped the Middle East would succeed in realizing its financial potential.

Report: Syria-Israel talks coild resume next week

Peace talks between Syria and Israel will resume next week if Prime Minister Ehud Olmert manages to overcome his domestic problems, a senior Syrian journalist wrote on Thursday.

Writing in the London-based Arabic-language paper Al-Hayat, Ibrahim Hamidi, who is considered Syria's leading independent journalist, said that Damascus was anxious to return to the negotiating table and that serious progress had been made in the talks so far.

"Damascus will do all it can to further talks," he wrote. "It is examining every small move with hope on the way to peace."

He reiterated Syrian officials' claim that Israel's government had agreed to withdraw to the 1967 border, which Jerusalem denies. "When we mean the talks are serious, we mean that the other side is committed to a full withdrawal to the border of June 4, 1967," Hamidi quoted a Syrian source as saying.

"The Middle Eastern theater, and its strategic aspects, will change if the awaited peace is achieved," Hamidi continued. "The positive developments will be tangible for everyone living in the Middle East."

On Wednesday, Syrian President Bahar Assad told a British parliamentary delegation that he had no intention of complying with Israel's request that Damascus sever its close relations with Iran. During the meeting, Assad likened the Israeli request to his asking Israel to sever its ties with the United States.

Also Thursday, Syria and France resumed high-level contact with each other after several months during which no such communication had occurred, due to differences of opinion over the political strife in Lebanon. Assad spoke by telephone with French President Nicolas Sarzoky, and the French president told his Syrian counterpart that he supports the resumption of talks with Israel.

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      1.   what else should he do? 20:35  |  Peres 29/05/08
      2.   Alternative Route 20:47  |  Matthew Houston 29/05/08
      3.   Peres is a cardinal liar 20:51  |  KA 29/05/08
      4.   Peres Is On The Right Track 20:52  |  Markus 29/05/08
      5.   I agree with Peres 20:59  |  Akram 29/05/08
      6.   But who`s going to Damascus? 21:21  |  Paul Samaras 29/05/08
      7.   Sure...IF...Israel wants peace...it should... 21:27  |  Dutch Dirk 29/05/08
      8.   Peres, your words are meaningless babble. Go to a nursing home. 21:53  |  Gary A. MD 29/05/08
      9.   Peres, your words are meaningless babble. Go to a nursing home. 21:54  |  Gary A. MD 29/05/08
      10.   Taking the first step 21:58  |  John 29/05/08
      11.   Shimon I 22:12  |  Danny 29/05/08
      12.   arab league peace initiative 22:31  |  bashar 29/05/08
      13.   #7 Dutch Dick 22:32  |  Noah 29/05/08
      14.   #7 22:33  |  avi 29/05/08
      15.   Syria has not developed bond with Israeli people 22:41  |  Sam 29/05/08
      16.   Dutch Dummy 22:53  |  American Jew 29/05/08
      17.   Re: #6.....going to damascus? 22:56  |  Jabotinsky 29/05/08
      18.   Assad probably cannot find Jerusalem since he`s looking for.. 23:08  |  Richard S 29/05/08
      19.   They will resume , next year in the Alices Wonderland 23:30  |  Sal 29/05/08
      20.   Kind of scrambling, aren`t you? 23:36  |  Colin Wright 29/05/08
      21.   I agree with Peres 23:38  |  Abu Yusuf 29/05/08
      22.   ASSAD TO VISIT JERUSALEM AND RECEIVED BY ABBAS 23:39  |  TripleJump 29/05/08
      23.   Different time. 23:40  |  Pierre Balestino 29/05/08
      24.   HE SOULD COME HERE BECAUSE CHOSEN PEOPLE HAVE CHOSEN EGO 23:44  |  JACKAL 29/05/08
      25.   He can go where the US embassy is....Tel Aviv 23:49  |  Capital 29/05/08
      26.   peres 23:59  |  azad 29/05/08
      27.   Assad wants peace, but he`s not that desperate to come to Jerusal 00:04  |  Aounist 30/05/08
      28.   Bashar-Arabs see the picture only from their view 00:06  |  Sam 30/05/08
      29.   Address the Knesset? 00:11  |  Harold 30/05/08
      30.   A good idea. Why not? 00:22  |  Ahmad 30/05/08
      31.   come so we can use it as propoganda 01:12  |  sam i am 30/05/08
      32.   To #9 01:16  |  JB 30/05/08
      33.   Peres: If Assad wants peace, he should come to Jerusalem 01:22  |  sfg 30/05/08
      34.   To No. 13 re # 6 03:28  |  Paul Samaras 30/05/08
      35.   Peres 03:49  |  Brod 30/05/08
      36.   #24 sam 05:01  |  bashar 30/05/08
      37.   #29 sfg 05:04  |  Space 30/05/08
      38.   to Akram Syria can be trusted 05:05  |  gus 30/05/08
      39.   To sam Syria did gusture for peace 05:12  |  gus 30/05/08
      40.   No need to waste time in Jerusalem 05:16  |  Harold 30/05/08
      41.   Brod the real wolves are the current Israeli leaders 05:17  |  gus 30/05/08
      42.   Bashar-call for a one-state solution, so what? 05:45  |  Sam 30/05/08
      43.   Gus- not good enough on Syria`s part 06:09  |  Sam 30/05/08
      44.   That`s Awfully Indirect 06:12  |  Yosemite 30/05/08
      45.   because Olmert is too much of a crook for Syrians? 06:18  |  Fortuna Benmayor 30/05/08
      46.   TripleJump #22 -- time to fire your history teacher 06:33  |  bbl 30/05/08
      47.   Jackal, how poorly you understand the region 06:37  |  bbl 30/05/08
      48.   The demand of Assad to receive the Golan is the proof... 07:22  |  Jean Van Daem 30/05/08
      49.   SYRIA ! TAHRAN IS YOUR HUSBUND. DONT SLEEP WITH OTHERS ! 09:30  |  ... 30/05/08
      50.   Well, at least Peres didn`t announce his challenge on a TV show. 09:49  |  Johnboy 30/05/08
      51.   A sad rentaquote from Peres 09:51  |  JJ burke 30/05/08
      52.   Wrong, he should go to hell, are you all stupid? 11:02  |  Harvey (Chaim) 30/05/08
      53.   peres you talk too much 11:09  |  giora 30/05/08
      54.   "If Assad wants peace..." 11:09  |  DC 30/05/08
      55.   PEACE WITH SYRIA 11:46  |  Nicole 30/05/08
      56.   johnboy"peres is a sad and shameless old man" 12:18  |  amos 30/05/08
      57.   johnboy "peres makes a cheap offer to assad" 12:21  |  amos 30/05/08
      58.   How many nuclear sites were built in Syria? 12:52  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 30/05/08
      59.   ASSAD WILL GO TO ISRAEL, AND THEN AHMADINEJAD TOO 12:54  |  indrajaya 30/05/08
      60.   manic john insulting President Peres 13:06  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 30/05/08
      61.   To Cipora #60 13:23  |  oetis 30/05/08
      62.   New realities 13:39  |  Sami 30/05/08
      63.   Peres is Right,but Bashir prefers Teheran 13:43  |  Ronnie Wolman 30/05/08
      64.   Before coming to Jerusalem, Assad should recognize Israel`s right 14:53  |  Avraham Israeli 30/05/08
      65.   Cipora 14:53  |  Harvey (Chaim) 30/05/08
      66.   Foolishness by Peres 14:56  |  Tosefta 30/05/08
      67.   Paul Samaras read the whole article and then comment 15:02  |  x-ray 30/05/08
      68.   bashar 15:04  |  x-ray 30/05/08
      69.   he will if israel is serious... 15:31  |  ravi 30/05/08
      70.   tosefta "maybe peres does not understand the north" 15:49  |  giora 30/05/08
      71.   tosefta "syria just checking the waters" 16:03