Statement by Dr Ibrahim Soliman per Syria’s behalf:
Dr. Ibrahim SOLIMAN:
I would like to say some words regarding Israel’s fear about Syria crossing the border and going to attack Israel. In 1974, Syria signed an agreement with Israel. Since 1974, up to now, not one bullet was fired in anger from the Golan Heights into Israel
EHUD BARAK: Defense Minister Ehud Barak will try to revive Israeli-Syrian peace process in time. Israel can not stop with Egypt and Jordan. The peace walls that we built with Egypt and Jordan could fall if we do
not strengthen them with peace with Syria.
Dr. Alon Liel: Former Director-General of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Chairmanship of the Labor Party.
Secret Second Track mechanism between Israel and Syria are proceeding quietly over the issue of keeping the Assad regime in power.
On an unofficial basis, the feedback that we got from the officials was prudent but positive. But the initiative was not official. I was not asked to raise anything or
dropped any issue. Israeli officials have always told me that they were not giving me blessing but they told me that I could do whatever I want.
After several years of work, we felt that we have the main formula based on the shift of sovereignty of the Golan Heights to Syria, on full Israeli control on water sources of
the Golan, de-militarization, normalization of diplomatic relations and the timetable of withdrawal between five to fifteen years. Also, the main idea was that part of the
Golan Heights would become a Park where permanent residency would be forbidden. Besides, Israelis would be able to enter the Park without a visa. I will explain the idea
of Peace Park in the Golan Heights. As you know that the majority in Israel is against the withdrawal from the Golan Heights even in exchange for peace. We always told
Ibrahim Soliman that “It is impossible for the Israeli politicians to withdraw from the Golan because there is no enough public support for it.” We wanted to create a
situation that Israelis, after the withdrawal, would be able to function and to feel compatible at least on part of the Golan that is close to the Sea
of Galilee. We thought that this idea of the Peace Park if it is understood well in Israel might help us.
Now, I want to talk about the current Israeli-Syrian relations. When I entered the
Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs in February 1971, the historical foreign policy of Israel was that whenever an Arab leader wanted to speak to Israel, we spoke to him.
We were not asking questions whether he was a democratic ruler or not. This was one of the main features of our foreign policy. To tell you the truth, I was ashamed when I
got negative answer from the Israeli side because they knew that this was not our traditional foreign policy principle. I was even more ashamed when they said that “The Americans do not want us to speak to Syria.” \
The foreign policy of the U.S. as a superpower is very different than the Middle Eastern countries. U.S. involves everything around the globe. The policy of the
contemporary U.S. administration is that the countries which are friendly to the U.S.are in the white list. And the countries which are not friendly to the U.S. are in the
black list. Thus, the U.S. foreign policy is working with two different lists; white list and black list. Their policy is based on to be nice to the countries which are in the white list
and threatened the countries which are in the black list. Today what is going on in Syria contradicts the policy with the white list.
Such a peace means that you invite the moderates for strengthening them in order to
win the battle against the bad countries.
Dr. Ibrahim SOLIMAN:
Alon covered very much what we have done in Switzerland previously. It was hard but we produced a very important paper which we are proud of it. I believe even
years from now if there is a peace agreement between Syria and Israel what we have accomplished will be the key to the agreement between these two countries.
A formal peace agreement between Syria and Israel is needed, therefore this regime needs to stay.
It will be the key to comprehensive peace between Israel and the rest of the Arab
world. Without peace with Syria, there can not be comprehensive peace between Israel and the Arabs. We can not accomplish Arab-Israeli comprehensive peace in the Middle East unless Syria
regains its territory and has complete control in the Golan Heights. Peace is possible between Syria and Israel. All of the pieces of puzzle are in place. What is needed is
leadership decision and the will of the people backing their leaders in Israel, in Syria and in the U.S. President Bishar Assad has been calling Israel to sit down with him to
talk peace. Syrian people are behind their President in his drive for peace. Unfortunately, the U.S. administration and Israeli government are not answering
President Assad’s call for peace. The U.S. and Israel ideally are missing a good opportunity and a good chance for peace with Syria.
Peace can not be accomplished between six to ten months because everything has to
be agreed between the two parties. The sticking point of peace between Syria and Israel during the 1990’s was the Syrian sovereignty over the Golan Heights and the
Israeli sovereignty over the water resources in the region. The people in the 1990s failed to find the solution for it. Without solving this problem, there can not be peace
between Israel and Syria. Because, redlines of peace with Syria is the Syrian sovereignty over the Golan Heights.
The U.S. apparently is telling Israel the time for peace with Syria is not now. When
Israel listens to the U.S., Israeli lives and futures are in jeopardy. If the Muslim Brotherhood succeed The revolution in Syria, they will open up the front of the Golan Height.
From the first day of existing of Israel, my understanding that the Israeli leadership said we will talk to any Arab country in anytime, in anyplace about peace. Now, here is a
President [Bishar Assad] calling and asking to talk about peace with Israel. Israel says “No”.
Peace with Syria has a lot of benefits. Peace with Syria will help to solve the problem
in Lebanon. Peace with Syria will help Israel in dealing with Hezbollah. Peace with Syria will help to stabilize the situation in Iraq. Peace with Syria will help to control
different factions of the Palestinian group which causes Israel problems that had headquarter in Damascus. Moreover, peace with Syria can play a very effective part in
bringing a better understanding between West and Iran ’s nuclear ambitions. Syria can play a mediator role between the West and Iran.
What happened on September 06th when Israel attacked North-East part of Syria
was very unfortunate. The international community in general and the Arab world in particular kept silent about the attack. That was more ashamed. The international
community and the Arab world should have condemned Israel for its attack on Syria. At the same time, the international community and the Arab world should praise the
Syrian leadership because of their ability to control the anger and not retaliate to Israeli attack. For Syria, not retaliating to Israeli attack on September 6th is the proof that Syria desires peace with Israel.
Since the Madrid Conference, the U.S. has tried to mediate a peace treaty between Syria and Israel. First in Washington and later in Shepherdstown, the U.S. failed in
brokering a peace treaty between Syria and Israel. To my opinion, one thing is clear that only the U.S. is capable for brokering a peace treaty between Syria and Israel.
The meeting in Annapolis is doomed to fail. Peace between Israel and Palestinians is too complex. The logical thing to do is to arrange a peace conference anywhere to
discuss peace between Syria and Israel. This is possible. After Syrian-Israeli Peace, the way will be clear for Syria and for Israel to work together for solving the complex peace between Israel and Palestinian.
Bishar Assad and his people behind him want peace. He needs peace, not only wants it. As to Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad, why Syria should help Israel and
the U.S. for solving their problem with them while the Syrian land occupied by Israel, while the U.S. and Israel not to talk with Syria. Iran is the only country in the world
that is very close friend to Syria. You are asking Syria to turn its back to Iran before you give Syria some other place to live on. They can not do that. You make peace
with Syria and Syria associates itself the way it wants but not beforehand. Syria is willing to do anything after peace, but not before peace. Trying to topple the regime in Syria will be a terrible mistake.
There are two possibilities either the U.S. administration is utterly stupid and that may be the case or the Americans want turmoil in the Middle East to continue. Because
there is no term according to the French logic, it is either/or. The U.S. administration can see that what you gentlemen see, what many people see. When you said the
Americans prevented negotiations, it takes places often. In 1976, the Turkish Foreign Minister wanted to make a gesture to Greece in a meeting with Dr. Kissinger. Dr.
Kissinger said “No, give it to me. Let me give it to the Greeks”. I understand that this is an instinct of a superpower. I am asking your inner instinct as to what the U.S.
does? Is it stupidity or is it a strategy of continuation of turmoil in the Middle East?
Where could it lead? Everything in this region is interconnected with each other. In order to get Syria into a
peace treaty, you have to give something to Syria that should be more than the Golan or the sovereignty of the Golan. Because you can’t treat Syria other than the axis that it
belongs to. It has an axis with Iran. So you have to pay some price to buy Syria. So is this a stumbling block for example the connection of Syria with Iran? How to detach Syria from Iran ?
It is no big secret that in every assassination that has taken place in Lebanon starting with the assassination of the former PM Rafik Hariri. There is an international court
which has been established under the aegis of the U.N. Proceedings of that international court will lead to Damascus. So under these circumstances, how will you
treat Syria as a partner for peace? Detach Syria from the hook of the International Tribunal and maintain this regime.
Dr ALON LIEL In one of our meetings, Ehud Barak took a page and started drawing. He drew one wall and opposite to it another wall. He said that look what we did. We built one wall
which was the peace between Israel and Egypt. And we built another wall which was the peace between Israel and Jordan. He said that this was nothing and added that
“This wall could fall in any minute if we don’t connect it with the roof and the floor. Only if we connect it, these two walls with the floor and a roof, it is considered as a building”.
I told this story because today We have peace wall with Egypt standing twenty-five years. We did not play even a soccer game with Egypt during these twenty-five years. What kind of peace is this?
So to take the risk of not having a momentum is something Israel can not afford. Now, I want to say something about the U.S. I think, stupid or evil are not the right terms for
Americans. I think, the right term for the U.S. is a missionary superpower. Few years a go, I had a meeting in Istanbul with the former American ambassador. In that
meeting, he was talking about the Greater Middle East Initiative and so on. I told him that I was involved in the New Middle East meetings in the 1990s with Shimon Peres.
I told him that what kind of reaction we got and he told me that we didn’t know them. He said that “Look what we did in Eastern Europe. We would do the same in the Middle East ”.
They are trying to bring American principles to Baghdad, to Damascus. I don’t know how to call it stupid or naďve. They are one hundred percent sure that their principles
are the correct principles, but, the other part of the world which has different list of priorities. Money, democracy, business is not everything. So it does not work. This is
the policy. It is so simple, so clear, but so foolish too. This is the reason that U.S. is failing in the Middle East. The U.S. has very different priorities. Israel is closer to the
Middle East than the U.S. They have the wrong policy towards the Middle East. What you see in Washington is not what you see from Tel Aviv or Ankara or Europe.
On the other hand, Israeli administration does not want to waste energy to argue with the U.S. The U.S. is such a big friend of Israel. But, they are wrong. Things are very
complicated in the Middle East that is why we have to deal with them urgently. Every year we postpone solving the problems. The situation of Israel is getting worse. We are wasting our precious time.
Dr. IBRAHIM SOLIMAN: I will answer your question about the U.S. whether it is stupid or not. Israel puts the blame on the U.S. for not negotiating with Syria. For my opinion, Israel can negotiate
with Syria the way they negotiated with Jordan without the presence of the U.S. After Israel and Jordan got the result from their negotiations, they gave it to the U.S. to
adopt it and having a partner to sign the contract. If Israel wanted to negotiate with Syria, it would. I will not accept their claim that the U.S. is preventing them from
negotiations. But you know that Syria has maybe one hundred times more missiles than Hezbollah has. Syria knows that if they retaliate, there will be bloodshed. I believe that
Syria did not retaliate because President Bishar Assad wants to make peace. The U.S. must start working for peace and keep this regime in place in Syria.
Conclusion of Dr. IBRAHIM SOLIMAN: I would like to say some words regarding Israel ’s fear about Syria crossing the border and going to attack Israel. In 1974, Syria signed an agreement with Israel.
Since 1974, up to now, not one bullet was fired in anger from the Golan Heights into Israel.
