Note: The translations of articles from the Hebrew press
are prepared by the Government Press Office
as a service to foreign journalists in Israel.
They express the views of the authors.
Assad Is in Control
(Analysis by Ron Ben Yishai, "Yediot Ahronot", July 20, 1999, p. A7)
The Syrian president is also interested in resuming the negotiations as
quickly as possible: He has recently initiated four measures designed to
gain the confidence of Israel and the United States.
It is not only President Clinton and Prime Minister Barak who are beating
a path to Israeli-Syrian negotiations. It is becoming clear that President
Assad is also hurrying to resume negotiations with Israel. Four
confidence-building measures that Assad has initiated vis-a-vis Israel and
the United States attest to this.
The first measure were the complimentary comments Assad made regarding
Barak following the Israeli elections. He did this not only via the Syrian
media which reflects government positions, but also in an interview that
he granted to British journalist Patrick Seale, in which he expressed
confidence in Barak and his intentions.
An additional Syrian confidence-building measure was carried out and
continues to be carried out in Lebanon. It began approximately three
weeks ago, when Hizballah fired Katyushas at the Galilee. Despite the fact
that Israel reacted forcibly and bombed Hizballah targets throughout
Lebanon, Syria's military commanders in Lebanon ordered Hizballah to cease
the unilateral shooting in order to prevent an escalation which was liable
to cloud the atmosphere and delay the resumption of the political
negotiations.
The story does not end there. In seems that in Damascus it was decided to
minimize the possibility of another conflagration in Lebanon. The Syrians
know that Katyusha fire at the Galilee usually develops from a situation
in which Hizballah launches long- range mortar and anti-tank fire at IDF
and SLA positions. This is done from within Lebanese villages. When the
IDF and SLA respond, Lebanese villagers are injured and Hizballah launches
Katyushas. In order to prevent such situations, the Syrians have ordered
Hizballah to halt long-range shooting at IDF positions.
The Syrians' third confidence-building measure has been carried out in
Damascus. One month ago, according to reports which have not been
definitively confirmed, the leaders of the Palestinian rejectionist
organizations, as well as Hamas and Hizballah, were called to a meeting
with senior Syrian officials who made it clear to them that they will no
longer be able to engage in directing terrorist actions against Israel
from Syrian territory. From now on, they were told, they must concentrate
on political activities and shelve violent activity. Damascus also took
care to inform the world media about this meeting.
This move was mainly designed to acquire the goodwill of the US
administration. The US State Department still includes Syria on the list
of countries which sponsor terrorism, and is therefore ineligible to
receive US economic assistance. Assad wants to remove this obstacle in
order to like Egypt receive broad economic assistance, after he
signs a peace agreement with Israel.
Syria's fourth and final confidence-building measure was the especially
conciliatory speech towards Israel which was recently given by the new
Lebanese ambassador in Washington. This speech, which undoubtedly received
Syrian approval, was designed to make it clear that Lebanon is included in
"the peace package" between Syria and Israel when this is formulated.
The innovation in these four measures is not only their very existence but
also the fact that it was Assad who initiated them. Instead of waiting, as
he has in the past, to react to Israeli and American initiatives, he is
currently leading the moves to resume the diplomatic process. This is one
of the main reasons for the optimism currently pulsating in Washington and
Jerusalem.