Netanyahu ally says met Syrian officials in U.S.

The logic of this meeting escapes me. The Jews' interest would be to weaken Iran. If Iran's back is broken, why would Syria believe that any kind of relationship with the Natanyahu's would hold for the long run? How many seconds would pass after the weakening of Iran before Natanyahu turns his arsenal on Syria? Am I missing something?

By Dan Williams Dan Williams Tue Mar 10, 6:22 pm ET

JERUSALEM (Reuters) – A politician from Israeli Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu's rightist Likud party said on Tuesday he had met Syrian diplomats in the United States and felt encouraged about peace prospects.

Netanyahu, who was tasked with forming a new government after a February 10 election in Israel, has been publicly cool to outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's reviving of indirect peace talks with Syria through Turkish mediators.

Ayoob Kara, a Likud lawmaker from the Arab Druze community -- which has branches in Israel, Syria and Lebanon -- said that shortly before the ballot he visited Washington on a speaking tour and was introduced to officials from the Syrian embassy.

"I didn't know they would be there. The Americans brought me," he told Reuters. "In previous such circumstances they (Syrians) would have run away from me, but this time they came running to talk to me.

"From our discussions, the nuances of it, it was clear they are very interested in creating a new situation in our ties. I think we could be at the outset of a new beginning."

Past peace efforts have foundered on disagreement over how much of the Golan Heights, which Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war and annexed in a move not recognized internationally, should be returned to Syria.

The Olmert government also demanded that Syria scale back its ties to Iran, Lebanese Hezbollah and Palestinian Hamas, all sworn enemies of Israel. Syria has rebuffed that precondition.

Kara would not name his Syrian interlocutors but said he told them that "without flexibility, there cannot be diplomatic process. I meant a change in their positions, the fact they cannot continue supporting terror."

A Netanyahu spokeswoman, Dina Libster, said he had no knowledge of Kara's account.

"We passed no message to Syria through Ayoob Kara. Neither does Mr Netanyahu know about any message conveyed by the Syrians," she said.

Asked if he had reported back to Netanyahu on the meeting, Kara declined to answer. He said his American hosts were a private group with links to the Obama administration.

During his previous term as premier, in 1996-1996, Netanyahu pursued indirect contacts with Syria. Libster said these were broken off "the moment the talks turned to the Golan."

"Netanyahu has said countless times that the Golan will remain in Israel's hands," she said.

The United States under President Barack Obama has broached rapprochement with Damascus and many political analysts believe Netanyahu may be pressured to embrace the Syrian track, perhaps as an alternative to the lackluster talks with the Palestinians.

Israel's Haaretz daily reported last month Netanyahu aides were formulating a proposal for an interim non-belligerence pact under which Syria would gain control of Druze villages on the Golan, along with improved ties with Washington.

Kara declined to say if he was aware of such a proposal.

(Editing by Alison Williams)

Weaken Iran to help Mideast peace: Israel PM designate

Mar 10, 2009

JERUSALEM (AFP) – Israeli prime minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu believes that weakening Iran is key to ending the Middle East conflict as it would in turn weaken Hamas, a senior aide said on Tuesday.

"Iran's growing power and intransigence give great advantage to the radical elements among Palestinians and in Lebanon," the aide said, when asked about talks Netanyahu held with outgoing Defence Minister Ehud Barak earlier in the day.

"Any progress in the Middle East peace talks will require Hamas's weakening which can be achieved only if Iran is seen as weakened," he said.

Israel accuses Iran of supplying weapons to both the Islamist rulers of Gaza and Lebanon's Shiite militant group Hezbollah, which fought a devastating war with Israel in 2006.

Netanyahu, a hawkish former premier who heads the right-wing Likud party, said at the meeting, which was also attended by chief of staff Lieutenant General Gabi Ashkenazi, that he intends to focus his efforts on ending Iran's nuclear programme.

Israel, which is widely believed to have the Middle East's sole if undeclared nuclear arsenal, suspects that the Iranian programme is cover for a weapons drive but Iran insists it is solely for peaceful purposes.

"It will be very difficult to stablilise the situation in Lebanon or to hold negotiations with the Palestinians as long as Iran's power is on the rise," the aide quoted Netanyahu as saying.

The Likud leader, who is expected to form a narrow right-wing coalition next week, has rejected establishing a Palestinian state and has advocated what he calls an "economic peace" with the Palestinians.

This could lead to tension with the new US administration after Secretary of State Hillary Clinton last week announced that Washington intends an "aggressive" pursuit of Middle East peace.

While expressing support for international efforts to resolve the standoff over Iran's nuclear programme by diplomatic means, Israel has repeatedly refused to rule out military action to prevent any possibility of Iran developing a bomb.

"The military option remains on the table because it gives more chance for dialogue that will lead to a compromise with Iran," the aide said.

US President Barack Obama has vowed to engage in dialogue with Iran in an effort to end the nuclear standoff, in a policy break with the administration of George W. Bush which refuse to deal with Tehran without a prior agreement to suspend nuclear enrichment.

US intelligence chief Dennis Blair warned on Tuesday that it would be "difficult" to convince Iran to give up its quest for nuclear technology.

"Although we do not know whether Iran currently intends to develop nuclear weapons, we assess Tehran at a minimum is keeping open the option to develop them," said Blair.