Assad: Return of Golan Heights is precondition to Israel-Syria peace
The Syrian leader also noted that negotiations are not currently taking place between Syria and Israel.
By CODY LEVINEPresident Bashar al-Assad of Syria(photo credit: REUTERS)
Embattled Syrian President Bashar Assad said during an interview with Russian state media Thursday that any future agreement with Israel must entail a return of the Golan Heights to Syrian sovereignty.Assad made the remarks during an interview with Russia's Rossiya Segodnya news agency, which was also mentioned by Syria's official SANA news agency."Our stance has been very clear since the beginning of peace talks in the 1990s... when we said peace for Syria is related to rights – and our right is our land," Assad said.Assad stressed during the interview that Syria can only establish normal relations with Israel "only when we regain our land.""We have seen no Israeli official who is ready to move one step forward toward peace," Assad said.The Syrian leader also noted that negotiations are not currently taking place between Syria and Israel.Israel and Syria have long had a fraught relationship marked by numerous wars: in 1948 and 1967, when Israel captured the Golan Heights, in addition to 1973 and a large-scale battle in 1982.During the 1990s, Israel and Syria held back-channel discussions on a peace agreement at the height of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, which ultimately proved unsuccessful.Amid the rise of Iranian influence in the region, burgeoning Syria-Iran ties in the early 2000s,and the Syrian Civil War beginning in 2011, Israel has had a tense relationship with the Syrian government, due to the latter's support for Hezbollah and allowing the Iranian military to operate and set up base in the country.
