Syria warns Golan ‘can be freed through means other than peace’

Syrian Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Faisal al-Miqdad said on Saturday that Damascus retains several options to reclaim the Golan Heights, including options of a less-than diplomatic nature – the Jordanian daily ‘al-Dustour’ reports.

Al-Miqdad went on to address Israeli residents of the Golan, saying “the settlers should bear in mind that we will defend our land at any time. They should know that the Golan Heights belong to us and that they should not be raising their children in the Golan, since this is not their place. They will not enjoy their lives there.

“Syria has several courses of action if Israel refuses to return the Golan – however we still support peace and are not afraid of entering peace negotiations with Israel,” said al-Miqdad.

“Syria was surprised to find that the commitments that Israel made in the past regarding the Syrian channel, were not binding,” he said.

The deputy minister also addressed the indirect negotiations between Jerusalem and Damascus through Turkish mediation, saying that Syria saw the talks as being based on the principle of the so-called ‘Rabin Deposit.’

“We are not striving for peace from a position of weakness. The victory achieved by the Lebanese resistance (Hizbullah) in July 2006 changed everything in the region,” said al-Miqdad.

Meanwhile Syrian Vice President Farouk al-Sharaa is sounding notably pessimistic regarding the talks with Israel. In an interview with the Jordanian paper, al-Sharaa said the negotiations in Turkey are conducted in separate rooms, with the Turkish mediator shuttling between the delegations.

“It’s enough to note Israel’s positions regarding the refugees’ right to return to their homeland in accordance with UN Resoltion 194 and their evasion at Camp David and Oslo. Syria has expressed its willingness to resume talks for many years,” said al-Sharaa.