Peres and Basescu
Photo: AP
Romanian president to Peres: Assad wants talks
After series of meetings with Arab leaders, President Basescu tells Israeli counterpart, 'Syria looking forward to renewing diplomatic talks with Israel… Not interested in being associated with Iranian image'
President Shimon Peres on Monday met with Romanian President Traian Basescu, who gave him a message from Syrian President Bashar Assad, saying, "He told me explicitly that Syria is looking forward to renewing diplomatic talks with Israel."
At the start of the meeting Basescu briefed Peres on his recent meetings with regional heads of state and political leaders, including Jordan's king and the presidents of Egypt, Syria and the Palestinian Authority.
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He stressed that Romania was making efforts to study the different positions in the region in order to contribute to promoting peace and security in the Middle East. According to Basescu, Assad made it clear that "Syria is not interested in being associated with the Iranian image".
Peres responded to the Romanian president saying he was "certain that Assad is interested in severing Syria's association with Iran, but in practice – is not interested in disconnecting from Iran.
"Israel's hand is outstretched to peace, but if Assad thinks he can have the best of both worlds - to have the Golan Heights on the one hand and groom Hizbullah on the other hand – he is mistaken".
Peres to Basescu: 'Israel's hand outsretched to peace' (Photo: AP)
Peres continued to say that "even the Americans have decided to put Syria back on the list of terror-supporting countries".
The two leaders discussed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the mobilization of a peace process at length.
The Romanian president told Peres, "I do not want to interfere in Israel's internal affairs, but from all the meetings I have had, I've come to the conclusion that progress on the Palestinian plane, would be greatly helped by receiving support from the Arab world on the Iranian plane.
"It is important for me to tell you this as advice between friendly nations."
Peres told his guest, "Your commitment to teaching about the Holocaust and educating towards tolerance is an example of your consistent decision to choose liberty and education over ignorance and tyranny.
"Your walking out of the session during (Iranian President Mahmoud) Ahmadinejad's Holocaust denial campaign is one of many practical expressions of this decision."
