Both Israel and Syria are in need of peace

Nikos Konstantaras comments on the start of peace talks between Israel and Syria under Turkish mediation. "The positive thing is that today both protagonists need peace like never before. Israel has concluded agreements with Egypt and Jordan, but these are not enough. The Palestinian resistance cannot be broken. ... Hezbollah and Hamas are supported by Syria and Iran. ... Israel is caught in a jam. ... At the same time Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is confronted with serious corruption charges and in bad need of a success. ... After Bashar Assad was elected president in 2000, Syria has shown it seeks closer relations with the West. But the secular government has allied itself with Iran and its extremist Shiite government, and at the same time with the Sunni resistance fighters in Iraq. This political opposition has led to an identity crisis and isolation from the West. A respectable accord with Israel could help Damascus out of this impasse."

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