Assad sees hope for future, claims Israel not serious about peace

Jan 26, 2009, 21:04 GMT

Beirut - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said Monday that Israel is not serious about achieving peace in the region at this time, but expressed hope for the future.

'It was obvious that Israel only understands the language of force,' Assad said, adding that the Jewish state was not serious about the peace negotiations.

In an exclusive interview with Hezbollah-run television al-Manar, Assad said he sees 'hope for compromises in the region and not wars' in the future.

'Only a strong prime minister in Israel would achieve peace. A weak prime minister will ignite wars,' Assad said, in an apparent reference to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

The Syrian president accused Israel of ignoring all UN Security Council and Arab League decisions or resolutions.

On Monday, a Hamas member in Gaza, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa that Hamas had offered Israel a one-year truce during talks in Cairo if Israel lifts its economic blockade of Gaza and 'completely' reopens its crossings of the strip.

In the interview, Assad stressed that the indirect talks between Syria and Israel that started last May had been frozen after the assault on Gaza.

He stressed that Syria's firm stands will not change especially in backing Hamas and Hezbollah.

Assad added that Syria was standing firm in its decision to establish diplomatic ties with Lebanon, saying that Damascus will name its ambassador to Lebanon very soon.

'If we had no intention to appoint a Syrian ambassador, then we wouldn't have opened an embassy in Beirut under any circumstance,' he said.

Concerning the international tribunal on the 2005 assassination of Lebanon's former prime minister Rafik Hariri, Assad said: 'The tribunal is international and the Syrian citizen obeys Syrian justice.'

'If there was a will of cooperation between the Syrian justice and the international tribunal, then there should be an agreement treaty on the rights and duties,' he said.

Syria has been widely accused by the anti-Syrian Lebanese camp of being behind the assassination of Hariri.