| October 2008 - News |
| October 2008 |
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Assad hosts four-way peace summit
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad hosted a four-way peace summit in Damascus on September 4 with the leaders of Turkey, France and Qatar. The event involved the first visit by a Western head of state since the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in 2005. French President Nicolas Sarkozy arrived in Damascus on September 3 to meet with Assad ahead of the summit with key Middle Eastern mediators, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Emir of Qatar Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani. The four-way summit discussed the Russia-Georgia conflict, Iraq, the Sudanese crisis, Lebanese-Syrian relations and, centrally, indirect peace negotiations between Damascus and Tel Aviv. Sarkozy, whose country holds the EU presidency, said at a press conference on September 3 that France is prepared to act as a peace maker for direct talks between the two enemies “when the time comes”. “It is very important that the time for Syria and Israel to talk directly comes soon, to build the peace that everyone needs,” Sarkozy said. At a press conference following the summit on September 4, Assad said Syria had sent Israel a six-point proposal via Turkey setting out the conditions for face-to-face talks between the two countries. “We are awaiting Israel’s response to six points submitted through Turkey,” Assad said. He said direct talks required a US administration “which believes in the peace process” taking office. He also said the success of future negotiations depends on who replaces Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. “We want the support of all states... to be assured the next prime minister will follow the same direction as Olmert through his readiness for a complete withdrawal from the occupied territories for peace to be achieved,” Assad said. At the end of the press conference, Assad said France, Qatar and Turkey “have good relations with the US… and can play an important role in the Middle East peace process.” Hussein Odat, a Syrian political analyst, said Sarkozy’s visit marked an end of European support for the American-led policy of isolation against the country. “Syria is looking to get out of the US-imposed isolation on it,” he said. “Sarkozy’s visit opened the European door for Syria, bringing it back into the heart of the political arena in the Middle East.” |
