Israel: Stab Iran to get Golan

Shimon Peres

Israeli president Shimon Peres claims that the Golan Heights will be returned to Syria if Damascus cuts ties with Iran and Hezbollah.

"[Syrian President] Assad prefers Lebanon and relations with Hezbollah to the Golan Heights. If they do not break their relations with Hezbollah and the Iranians, they can't have the Golan," Peres was quoted by the Israeli daily Maariv as saying in a confidential meeting.

He was reported as having added that an agreement between the Zionist regime and Syria on withdrawal from Golan cannot be reached 'in light of the present situation'.

"We would not turn the Golan heights to the Iranians," Peres claimed.

Syrian Migrants Minister Buthaina Sha'ban told al-Jazeera TV channel Thursday that the Zionist regime had sent Syria a message, indicating its willingness to return the Golan Heights in return for peace.

"[Israeli premier Ehud] Olmert is ready for peace with Syria on the grounds of international conditions; on the grounds of the return of the Golan Heights in full to Syria," Shaaban said.

However, citing Western diplomatic sources, The Jerusalem Post reported that Israel had told Syria a peace agreement could be reached only if Syria ended its support for Hamas and Hezbollah, expelled Hamas leader Khalid Mashaal and distanced itself from Iran.

The Syrian newspaper al-Watan had earlier claimed that the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan called Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Tuesday to inform him of Olmert's willingness to fully withdraw from the Golan Heights in exchange for a peace agreement.

However, the Syrian president seemed reluctant to consider the possibility of direct talks with Israel.

"What we need now is to find common ground through Turkish mediation. There will be no secret negotiations, and any talks will be held via the Turkish side," he stressed.

"We will first discuss the return of territory in order to see whether Israel is sincere in its intentions, because we must be very careful and clear on this issue. We may be able to discuss direct negotiations with a future US government," he stated. PressTV