The Syrian-Israeli back-channel, Part 2
Akiva Eldar does, as I had hoped, have a follow-up piece in Wednesday's HaAretz to the article he had today about the existence and negotiating "achievements" of an unofficial Syrian-Israeli back-channel between 2004 and July 2006.
The notable additions in the follow-up piece included a report, attributed to "senior officials in Washington" that "U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney was kept in the picture about these indirect talks between Syria and Israel."
Eldar also wrote:
- Ibrahim (Ayeb) Suleiman, the Syrian representative, also said this at his meetings with former Foreign Ministry director general Alon Liel, adding that Cheney had made no move to stop him from participating in the talks. Suleiman is a Washington resident.
- Meretz-Yahad Chairman Yossi Beilin said in media interviews Tuesday that the European mediator in the secret talks was Nicholas Lang, head of the Middle East desk at the Swiss Foreign Ministry.
Lang also played a key role in organizing the Israeli-Palestinian meetings at which Beilin and Yasser Abed Rabbo drafted the Geneva Initiative, their proposal for a final-status agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. Liel, who was the driving force behind the secret meetings with Suleiman, is one of the people closest to Beilin.
But I find even more interesting the way that Eldar refers to Dick Cheney in that casual, matter-of-fact way, as being the US official whom one would really most seek or expect to see taking an interest in any serious back-channel talks of this nature.
Yeah, why bother with the "President" or his portion of the White House, at all these days? Go to the real source of the power, instead.
Syria's Price Tag:Israel's Water Resources
By David Eshel
"The Golan water-shed is the source for more than 55 percent of Israel’s fresh water needs and forms part of the ground water reserves that supplies Israel with most of their water supply."
Syria's president wants to resume peace negotiations with Israel", said U.S. Senator Arlen Specter last Tuesday, at a news conference at Damascus airport after meeting with Syrian president Bashar Assad. The Pennsylvania Republican senator, who visited Syria despite objections from the Bush administration, did not say what conditions Assad gave for resuming talks with the Israelis, which broke down in 2000. Still, Israeli intelligence sources regard a change in Bashar Assad's strategic attitude.