DOHA, Qatar - If Syrian President Bashar Assad truly
wants peace, let him come to Israel like
assassinated Egyptian leader Anwar Sadat, so asserted Vice Premier Shimon Peres during a rare television appearance on 'Doha Debates', an annual BBC event held in the Qatari capital.
Asked why Israel rejects the Saudi peace initiative from 2002, Peres responded that if the Arab League is interested in negotiations – its leaders should come to Israel.
If Assad's peace overtures to Israel are genuine, said Peres, he should follow in the footsteps of Sadat, the late King Hussein of Jordan and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
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Sheikh Al Thani tells Shimon Peres during meeting in Doha, 'Israel must be pragmatic in its approach to Hamas-led Palestinian government; vice premier says in response, 'They must first recognize Israel.' Earlier Peres tells group of students, 'Israel is willing to make peace with Syria and to go a long way to achieve it, but the ball is in Assad's court' |
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The 'Doha Debates' forum boasts such former guests as former US President Bill Clinton, Mohamed El Baradei of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa, Knesset Member Rabbi Michael Melchior and exiled Hamas politburo Khaled Mashaal.
Peres with 'Doha Debates' host Tim Sebastian (Photo: AFP)
Peres was also asked to address Israel's achievements in the last war against
Hizbullah, "if there were any."
Hizbullah is no longer on Israel's border and its leader Hassan Nasrallah has
admitted that he would never have started the war if he had known in advance that there was even a one-percent chance of the outcome being the same, replied Peres, who went on to say that for these reasons he does not understand why there is talk of an Israeli defeat.
But despite Peres' considerable efforts to explain Israel's positions, no immediate changes of heart were evident amongst the Qatari audience.
"Peres didn't affect me," said Lubna Niali, a 19-year-old student of Syrian decent who studies at the Georgetown University branch in Doha. "We have different beliefs and ideologies. I believe in freedom of expression and elections and I do not see that happening in Palestine. The people there are suffering, they don't have a passport and are unequal to other citizens in the world," Niali told Ynet.
Rim, another young woman, also said that despite Peres' good performance Israel's image remains poor in Qatar. "Your image isn't good, but on the other hand neither is Qatar's image. There is a lot of criticism against us and many see us as traitors," she said.
'Doha Debates' will be broadcast on Feb. 3 by the BBC World service.
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