Israeli Foreign Ministry Assessment: Syria Waiting for Bush to Leave Office

Don’t expect any breakthrough developments on the Israel-Syria track until President Bush leaves office. Such is the assessment of Israel‘s Foreign Ministry that was presented to a parliamentary committee on Tuesday. Nimrod Barkan, the director of political research for the ministry, opined that Syria believes it can have an agreement with Israel on their terms, but that it will require American support. Bush has been opposed to dealings with Syria, accusing it of tacit support for those who are fighting the American-led coalition in Iraq. The Syrians were reportedly upset at comment President Bush made last week, saying he has lost patience with Syrian President Bashar Al-Asad. He said Al-Asad, "houses Hamas, he facilitates Hezbollah, suiciders go from his country to Iraq, and he destabilizes Lebanon."