The Syrian government on Thursday afternoon rejected Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's proposal to meet with Syrian President Bashar Assad "under the right circumstances."

Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk A-Shara told reporters in Damascus that Syria has called for a resumption of talks with Israel without preconditions, and that at this moment in time it looks as though Sharon is placing preconditions on the talks. "This proposal is unacceptable to us," A-Shara said.

Speaking to a forum of Israeli newspaper editors earlier Thursday, Sharon said Israel was examining recent overtures from Damascus for a resumption of peace talks.

"I was asked if I would be willing to meet [Syrian President Bashar] Assad. Under certain conditions, yes. But I wouldn't recommend that Israel open negotiations with the Syrians when all the terror groups are operating there," Sharon said.

Sharon said that when Egyptian President Anwar Sadat made a dramatic visit to Israel in 1977, secret contacts and preparations were carried out well in advance. The case has not been the same with Assad, Sharon said.

"We have not seen one real sign, not one, that their intentions are genuine. I have heard the so-called peace overtures coming out of Syria. I have heard voices from within Israel which back those overtures. The greatest threat on the new Palestinian leadership emanates from Damascus. The headquarters of the Palestinian terrorist organizations are still operating in Damascus. The orders for terror attacks emanate from this so-called peace loving country, Syria. We want peace with all Arab states, and we want peace with Syria. But we will not agree to ignore the granting of shelter to the worst of our enemies," Sharon said.

"The Syrian regime can prove the seriousness of its intentions with simple actions, which will have deep significance to Israel. Words will not suffice for us, we will not live under the threat of terror. We will examine Syria's actions, and if we find them to be serious, Damascus will find that Israel is looking for peace," Sharon said.

Turning to Iran, Sharon said that the Islamic Republic has not abandoned its ambition to attain nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them.

"I am certainly not less worried about the Iranian nuclear issue even while the US and the Europeans are working on the matter. I know that in the United States they are also not less worried. There is no doubt that Iran is continuing its efforts to arrive at a situation in which she has a nuclear weapon. This is in addition to developing ballistic missiles. It is clear that the Iranian leadership has not given up on its nuclear ambitions, and they are continuing to move forward in this direction. It is true that the increased interest on the part of the international community in this issue has led to a higher level of supervision. This supervision has lead to a certain delay in Iran's timetable of reaching its ultimate goal. But the efforts continue. Iran is gathering all the material it needs to attain the technical capability to make use of centrifuges," Sharon said.

He added that the Iranian capability of producing fissile material presents a "point of no return" with regards to Israel's position on the matter. "In the last year we have seen positive developments regarding increased international involvement in the growing threat from Iran's nuclear program. Likewise there is importance in the efforts of Britain, France and Germany in this issue and the determination they showed against Iran. They managed to delay the Iranians' plans, but not to stop them.

The Jerusalem Post : 12-02-04