'Israel too weak.' Assad
Photo: AFP
Golan not open to negotiation, Assad says
Syrian president tells newly formed parliament, ‘Land is a basic principle for us, and we will never relinquish it’; Israel too weak to advance peace process, he adds
“The Golan Heights region is not open to negotiation,” Syrian President Bashar Assad said Thursday during a speech before the newly established parliament in Damascus.
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“We are working toward a just and comprehensive peace,” Assad said, “but Israel is incapable of conducting comprehensive and just negotiations because its government is too weak to take the necessary steps.”
The Syrian leader denied recent reports of secret talks between the sides, saying “we have no interest in conducting negotiations”.
“Syria has not presented any preconditions for the peace process, but we do have demands,” he said. “The land is a basic principle for us, and we will never relinquish it.”
During his speech Assad addressed a number of regional issues, including the war in Iraq and the situation in the Palestinian Authority.
As for the international tribunal on the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, the president said Syria would not cooperate with it in any way as it “impinges on our sovereignty”.
