Iranian official: Talks between Syria and Israel unacceptable

Jul 14, 2008, 10:09 GMT

Riyadh - Iran is unhappy about ongoing indirect talks between Syria and Israel and believes that any ensuing peace agreement would lead to radical changes in Syrian-Iranian relations, an Iranian official said in remarks published Monday.

Hussein Shariatmadari, an advisor to Iran's spiritual leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, told the Saudi daily Asharq al-Awsat that Tehran was unhappy that Islamic countries like Syria and Turkey were holding talks with Israel.

'We always say there is no country called Israel in the region. This country is called Palestine. So, it is normal that we reject any negotiations between an Islamic state, like Syria or Turkey, and an illegitimate, non-existent state,' Shariatmadari said.

Negotiations between Israel and Syria are not comparable to the talks that Lebanon's militant group Hezbollah and the Palestinian radical group Hamas are holding with the Israelis over a prisoner exchange and a truce deal in the Gaza Strip.

'Negotiations over prisoner exchange does not mean that Hezbollah recognizes Israel. Hamas too, like Iran and Hezbollah, does not recognize a thing called Israel. A truce agreement is not a recognition of the state of Israel,' the Iranian official said.

Relations between Syria and Iran will be subject to radical changes if Damascus signs a peace agreement with Israel, Shariatmadari said but added that this was his personal view.

'But I think that the signing of such an agreement would be also against the opinion of Iran, the Iranian government and the Iranian people,' he added.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has said that Damascus would establish normal relations, including the opening of embassies, if a peace agreement was sealed with Israel.

Al-Assad made his comments on Sunday in Paris where he attended the inauguration of an EU-Mediterranean union that brings together northern and southern countries that ring the sea, including Syria and Israel.

Both countries are currently involved in indirect peace talks brokered by Turkey.