The United Nation's Middle East peace envoy Terje Larsen, who is set to leave his position in the near future, met with Assad in Damascus yesterday. Larsen told reporters afterwards that the Syrian dictator is "willing to go to the table without conditions" and "has an outstretched hand to his Israeli counterparts."
A spokesman for Assad added, however, that Syria's "permanent position" is that talks must resume "from the point they broke off" – namely, former Prime Minister Ehud Barak's offer to withdraw from over 99% of the Golan Heights. Assad's father, previous Syrian dictator Hafez Assad, rejected the offer as "too low."
Most Israelis felt the offer was way too high. Towards the beginning of the negotiations, in January 2000, a poll by the Tel Aviv University Steinmetz Center showed that 62.3% of the Israeli public was against "a full peace treaty between Israel and Syria in exchange for withdrawal from the Golan Heights" - while only a bit more than 20% was in favor.
In the end, the Knesset passed the first reading of a bill for a referendum on the Golan issue in March 2000, stipulating that passage would require a majority of registered voters - and not merely those who actually voted. The Israeli-Syrian negotiations ended with no agreement, and the referendum issue died down.
Israel today says that it doesn't take Assad seriously. "How can one talk about a desire for peace while at the same time allowing terrorism from within Damascus itself?" asked Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom.
Israeli diplomatic sources were quoted as saying that if Syria is truly serious, it must stop its support for terrorist organizations, and especially for the Iranian proxy, Hizbullah. Adding that Assad has not yet dismantled the terrorist headquarters in his country, nor has he taken any steps to rein in the Hizbullah terrorists, "Syria is still part of the axis of evil," they said.
"The Syrian proposals for negotiations with Israel are designed only to rebuff American pressure on Damascus," Minister Shalom told Army Radio. "One cannot talk sweetly about a desire for peace while activating terrorism from within his own capital."
Political analysts said that Assad's intention is simply to put Israel in an awkward international diplomatic situation.
A spokesman for Assad added, however, that Syria's "permanent position" is that talks must resume "from the point they broke off" – namely, former Prime Minister Ehud Barak's offer to withdraw from over 99% of the Golan Heights. Assad's father, previous Syrian dictator Hafez Assad, rejected the offer as "too low."
Most Israelis felt the offer was way too high. Towards the beginning of the negotiations, in January 2000, a poll by the Tel Aviv University Steinmetz Center showed that 62.3% of the Israeli public was against "a full peace treaty between Israel and Syria in exchange for withdrawal from the Golan Heights" - while only a bit more than 20% was in favor.
In the end, the Knesset passed the first reading of a bill for a referendum on the Golan issue in March 2000, stipulating that passage would require a majority of registered voters - and not merely those who actually voted. The Israeli-Syrian negotiations ended with no agreement, and the referendum issue died down.
Israel today says that it doesn't take Assad seriously. "How can one talk about a desire for peace while at the same time allowing terrorism from within Damascus itself?" asked Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom.
Israeli diplomatic sources were quoted as saying that if Syria is truly serious, it must stop its support for terrorist organizations, and especially for the Iranian proxy, Hizbullah. Adding that Assad has not yet dismantled the terrorist headquarters in his country, nor has he taken any steps to rein in the Hizbullah terrorists, "Syria is still part of the axis of evil," they said.
"The Syrian proposals for negotiations with Israel are designed only to rebuff American pressure on Damascus," Minister Shalom told Army Radio. "One cannot talk sweetly about a desire for peace while activating terrorism from within his own capital."
Political analysts said that Assad's intention is simply to put Israel in an awkward international diplomatic situation.