Syrian President Bashar Assad
said it could take from six months to two years to reach a peace agreement with Israel
if the two sides, who have held indirect negotiations, agreed to face-to-face talks.
"Signing a peace accord with Israel ... It's a question that requires six months to two years maximum if both parties are serious in engaging direct talks," Assad said on Sunday, speaking through a translator on France 2 television.
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Assad is in France for a summit of EU and Mediterranean leaders, ending years of isolation from the West, and has taken advantage of the visit to hold bilateral meetings with other leaders, such as the presidents of France and Lebanon.
But he said he had not shaken hands with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert,
who also attended Sunday's gathering.
"No. We are engaged in indirect talks. We are not looking for symbols. We are trying to create a new reality; peace instead of war," he said.
"Once peace is signed then symbols take on a great importance," he added.
He said that anyone who wanted peace in the Middle East needed to talk to Syria,
but repeated that he did not believe any accords could be reached this year while US President George W. Bush remained in office.
In an interview broadcast earlier Sunday, Assad said Damascus would establish "normal" relations including the opening of embassies if a peace accord was sealed with Israel,
"From the very start of the peace process, we have been speaking of normal relations" with the Jewish state as part of a peace deal, he told the Arab satellite channel al-Jazeera.
"Whether it's called normal relations or a normalization makes little difference. These are normal relations, just like any relations between two states with embassies, links and treaties," said Assad.
"Things could deteriorate, just like they could improve. Relations could be warm, just as they could be cold," he said. "This is all part of the sovereignty of each state. This is what we call normal relations."
Reuters and AFP contributed to this report
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