Syria: War prospects rising in the Middle East

Syria’s president warned Sunday that the prospects for war in the region were on the rise as chances for peace dwindled amid increased tensions in the region.

Bashar Assad’s comments come after Israel accused Syria of smuggling Scuds and other types of missiles to Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group. Syria has denied the charge.

“Chances to achieve real peace are dwindling and war prospects are mounting,” the Syrian leader said in comments carried by state-run news agency SANA.

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Assad also said his country is still willing to achieve “a just peace and consolidate security and stability the region,” adding that this will only be realized after Israel fully pulls out from the Golan Heights, the strategic plateau that the Jewish state captured from Syria during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.

Assad stressed in his comments marking Army Day that “anyone who thinks that Syria might negotiate over its occupied land will be deluding himself.”

Turkish-mediated indirect talks between Syria and Israel ended unsuccessfully in late 2008. Assad said in the past that the indirect talks failed because the Jewish state would not make an unambiguous commitment to return all the territory captured in 1967.

The Golan Heights have been the central point of disagreement between Israel and Syria for years. Syria has demanded a full withdrawal from the Golan as a condition for peace.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would not accept preconditions to negotiations, indicating he would not agree ahead of time to a Golan withdrawal. He also said any agreement would have to guarantee Israel’s security.

Source: http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/news-217852-syria-war-prospects-rising-in-the-middle-east.html