Foreign Ministry warns Europe against Syria
On eve of French president's visit to Damascus, Israeli official cautions EU against restoring ties with Syria, says country's major policies remain unaltered
Foreign Ministry Deputy Director-General Yigal Palmor warned Wednesday that "the Europeans should be very careful when they consider restoring their ties with Syria."
Ahead of French President Nicolas Sarkozy's upcoming visit to Damascus, Palmor said that "the Syrian policies have remained unchanged – whether in terms of its support for terror groups, the violent oppression of its dissidents in Lebanon and the exploitation of the tensions between Russia and the West."
Sarkozy is expected to arrive in Damascus in favor of a summit focusing on the in indirect pease talks between Israel and Syria. The French president is scheduled to meet with Syrian President Bashar Assad, Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, and Qatar's emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani.
The Syrians, said Palmor, "have a vested interest in seeing the relations between Russia and Europe deteriorate."
But still, he added, the negotiation with Syria must continue if we are to have any chance of achieving peace.
Tuesday saw France-3 television air and interview with the Syrian president, in which he said that indirect negotiations with Israel have brought "the possibility of peace," though the two countries still have quite a way to go toward that goal.
The fifth round of Turkish-mediated talks between Israel and Syria is expected to begin Sunday, the London-based Arabic-language newspaper al-Hayat reported Wednesday, quoting a French source. Israel has yet to confirm this report.
