Originally published by the Voice of America (www.voanews.com).
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September 24, 2007

Israel Says Tension with Syria Subsiding
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=199CC7B:A6F02AD83191E160EF29A488A83224619574F7DCC14957C0 Prime Minister
Ehud Olmert says Israel is not interested in war with Syria Israel is
playing down tensions with its arch-enemy to the north - Syria. As
Robert Berger reports from VOA's Jerusalem bureau, there are new moves
to bring Syria into the Middle East peace process.







Ehud Olmert, 24 Sep 2007Prime Minister Ehud Olmert says Israel is not
interested in war with Syria. Speaking behind closed doors to
parliament's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Mr. Olmert said he
believes tensions between the two countries will subside.

There have been unconfirmed reports in the foreign press of a secret
Israeli air strike on a Syrian nuclear facility more than two weeks
ago. Syria denies reports that it received nuclear materials from
North Korea, but confirms that Israeli jets violated its air space.

The incident occurred months after Israel warned of a Syrian military
buildup. Israeli generals said Syria could opt for war to retrieve the
strategic Golan Heights, captured by Israel during the Six Day War in
1967.

Israeli analyst Alon Liel says suspicions are running deep.

"Syria all the time said that it has one hand extended to peace and
the other one is preparing for war," said Liel. "Israel believes the
second half, that Syria is preparing for war, and did not believe the
peace option."

The United States has signaled that it would invite Syria to an
international peace conference expected to take place in November.
Israeli spokesman Mark Regev says Israel would not object to Syrian
participation.

"Israel is interested in as many Arab states attending this meeting as
possible, states that support peace, that support reconciliation, that
oppose terrorism," said Regev.

Israel hopes that if Syria attends the conference it would be pulled
away from the radicals and into the camp of the Arab moderates. At the
same time, Israel says it will not resume peace talks until Syria cuts
ties with Iran and stops supporting Islamic militant groups, including
Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza.




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