No Clarity on Syrian-Israeli Meeting

As international news agencies report that Syria and Israel might sit down together at a summit of Mediterranean states in Paris next month, the Syrian press has stayed largely quiet about whether President Bashar al-Assad will attend in person.



French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner told his country’s parliament on June 17, "The Syrian president will be there, sitting next to – at the same table" as Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert, according to a report by the AFP news agency.



Syrian media have not confirmed that Assad us to go to Paris. The pro-government internet site DamasPost was one of the few media outlets to even broach the topic, with a June 19 piece citing other news reports that the president would attend, but that Israel and Syria would not engage with one another at the summit.



Citing a diplomatic source, Al-Hayat, a leading Arabic-language newspaper based in London, reported on June 19 that it was not yet clear whether Assad was going to Paris – but that if he did, he would meet Olmert.



Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem said Syria would not hold direct peace talks with Israel until agreement had been reached on the points the two parties were going to address, according to a June 19 report in the government newspaper Al-Thawra.



Syria has insisted that Israel return the Golan Heights as a starting point for peace.



Israeli defence minister Ehud Barak told Le Monde in a report published on June 19 that he did not expect direct negotiations to start until next year, and that the United States would need to be involved.



Earlier in the week, Hiam Ali, editor of the pro-government website Syria Steps, wrote an editorial warning that Israel would not get any “free privileges” by attending the summit in Paris, indicating that direct talks would not be initiated there.