"Israel's Aura Of Invincibility Is Long Gone"

Syria Says Israel's Aura Of Invincibility Is Long Gone

By Agence France Presse (AFP)
Compiled by Daily Star Staff
Friday, December 28, 2007
DailyStar

A senior Syrian official warned Israel on Thursday that its army had lost its aura of invincibility since its better-armed troops failed to overpower Hizbullah during the summer war of 2006.

"The [Israeli] superiority did not lead to surrender. And Syria has more weapons than Hizbullah," Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad told the Financial Times Deutschland.

Mekdad called on the United States to help re-start peace negotiations between Syria and Israel, the German daily said in an article published on Thursday.

"It would be very difficult to re-activate the peace process without the US," he said.

Mekdad said he hoped President George W. Bush would re-consider his refusal to intervene in stalled peace efforts between Syria and Israel, technically at war since 1948.

He said Syria's basic position was unchanged - that the return of the Golan Heights, which Israel captured in 1967, was "non-negotiable."

Disagreements over the Golan Heights caused the last round of talks between the neighbors to break down in 2000.

"We want to get our land back in a peaceful way. But if required, we have already shown we are also prepared to make sacrifices," Mekdad said.

- AFP