Assad urges Netanyahu to resume Turkish-mediated talks (Roundup)

Nov 13, 2009, 17:08 GMT

Paris - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said Friday in Paris that he did not want to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but he urged the Israeli leader to send negotiators to Turkey.

'If Mister Netanyahu is serious (about the peace process), then he should send experts to Turkey so that they can negotiate there with our experts,' Assad said after talks with French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

Talks between Israel and Syria under Turkish mediation have been halted since Israel's offensive in Gaza. Netanyahu has said that he was prepared to meet directly with Assacd, but without any pre-conditions.

Assad said that he had urged Sarkozy to try and convince Israel to resume the talks in Turkey. The Syrian leader also wants more decisiveness from Washington.

In an interview published Friday in the daily Le Figaro, Assad criticized US President Barack Obama for what he termed his passivity in relaunching the Mideast peace process.

'The weak point (of the peace process) is the American sponsor,' Assad said in an interview published Friday in the daily Le Figaro. 'A sponsor must elaborate a plan of action. He must be proactive and take the initiative, not remain passive and wait for others to act.'

Assad said he was in agreement 'in principle' with what Obama has said about peace in the Middle East, but was waiting to see what his plan of action would be.

In addition, Assad accused the Israeli government of lying about the shipment of arms it intercepted earlier this month and which it said had been sent by Iran to the guerilla group Hezbollah in Lebanon.

'Where is the proof that these arms were destined for Hezbollah or anyone else?' Assad said. 'The question is if Israel has the right to carry out this act of piracy in the Mediterranean and seize a boat.'