According to a Haaretz report, Syria does not have any plans of exhibiting a good-will gesture to Israel towards advancing direct negotiations between Damascus and Jerusalem.

Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad is quoted as saying that he does not even plan to extend a handshake to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Damascus does not plan to withdraw its demands for entering into direct talks, namely direct American involvement and an unconditional total Israeli withdrawal from the entire Golan Heights. Assad is quoted as saying there is no reason to grant any gestures of good-will to Israel’s weak prime minister.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)