Syrian Ambassador in Washington: Abolish the state of war with Israel

DAMASCUS: today.

Imad Mustapha, the Syrian ambassador to Washington calls for an end to the state of war with Israel, according to Israeli Army Radio.

Mustafa, lecturing at the Americans For Peace Now, a movement opposed to the occupation, says Syria looks forward to mutual recognition and a formal ending to the state of war with Israel.

He added, on a subsequent audio tape recording, "Let us sit together and make peace (..) to finalize the ending of this war."

Syrian President Bashar Assad appears to be serious about pursuing peace. But just how serious is he? Assad seems to be taking his desire to talk peace with Israel to heart, an issue explained in greater detail by his ambassador in Washington. But more on that in a moment.

The Syrian president indicated during his visit to Paris earlier this month that he was willing to open a Syrian diplomatic legation in the Lebanese capital; a move that recognizes de facto Lebanon's sovereignty, a gesture that the Syrians have been reluctant to extend to their Lebanese neighbors ever since the country's independence from France at the close of World War II.

And there are indications that Damascus may be clamping down on Hamas and Hezbollah, two groups supported by Iran and accused by the West of engaging in terrorist activities.

The Turkish government is taking the Syrian initiative seriously and has been acting as the middleman relaying proposals and counterproposals between the Israelis and the Syrians.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy is taking the Syrian president seriously. He was the first to bring Assad out of the cold by inviting him to the Union for the Mediterranean summit in Paris and then asked him to remain as a guest of honor on the reviewing stand for the Bastille Day July 14 parade. It is believed that Syria's acquiescence to establish an embassy in Beirut – after decades of refusal — can be attributed to the success of French diplomacy.

The Israeli government is taking Syria's peace overtures seriously by following up on Syria's advances and repeated statements that Damascus is genuinely interested in forging a peace treaty with the Jewish state.

In a rare interview with Americans for Peace Now (APN), a pro-Israel American organization, Syria's ambassador to Washington Imad Mustapha said that his country is seeking comprehensive peace with Israel, "within a normalized context."

He said that signing a peace treaty with Syria could pave the way for Israel to reach peace with the entire Arab world.

"We in the state of Syria are telling the state of Israel that we desire to end the state of war between us, to conclude peace between two states, to recognize each other and to live as peaceful neighbors with each other, within a normalized context," Mustapha said, adding, "We think this is a very serious proposal (…) here is the grand thing on offer: let us sit together, let us make peace, let us end once and for all the state of war" between the two countries.

Speaking with APN spokesman Ori Nir, Mustapha described the current talks between Israel and Syria as "a historic opportunity of making peace with not only Syria and Lebanon, because we believe that in one way or another Syria plays the role of a gatekeeper between Israel and the Arab world."

Mustapha told APN that Syria's leaders "have been telling the Israelis for the past 15 years: 'We want to make peace. We believe in a fair and comprehensive peace with you.'" He continued, "The only way forward – there is no third alternative – is to sit with us and make a peace agreement."

However, there is one major element missing, and that is slowing down the peace drive between Syria and Israel, as well as the other changes proposed, or hinted at by the Syrians: the crucial missing element is the participation of the United States.

The George W. Bush administration remains the only side not taking Syria seriously regarding their desire for change. There is a remote possibility that the U.S. administration's policy vis-à-vis Damascus may be right and everyone else – the French, the Turks and the Israelis – has got it wrong.

Yet the stakes are so high, the opportunity for a lasting peace in the Middle East so close, that it is worth taking a gamble and asking the Syrians to demonstrate their promises of peaceful intentions with concrete action. What is there to lose? If Syria reneges on any of its promises, Washington can always send it back to the corner, cut off negotiations and resume the cold shoulder treatment.

On the other hand the Bush administration has everything to gain in its waning days in the White House if it manages to conclude a historic peaceful agreement between Syria and Israel. The domino effect of such an agreement can only reflect positively on the remaining two Arab neighbors bordering Israel and that are not at peace with the Jewish state: Lebanon and the Palestinians.

In essence, if the U.S. administration managed to extricate a peace treaty between the Syrians and the Israelis by the time it vacates the White House, Bush may not have succeeded in seeing the establishment of a Palestinian state, as he said he would, but the cornerstone to the establishment of that state would have been set by him.

This is a golden opportunity for the president, who is set to leave the White House in about 175 days, and who will leave behind two unfinished wars, to finish his presidency on a positive note.

There is much to be gained and little to lose in such a venture. Making peace often requires more courage than waging war. An overture by Washington to Damascus will demonstrate just how serious the Syrians are.