Syrian-American to brief Israeli MPs on secret talks with Syria

[bemildred]

JERUSALEM: A Syrian-American businessman at the heart of recent secret unofficial peace talks between Israel and Syria arrived in Israel on Wednesday ahead of his appearance before a top parliamentary panel. Ibrahim Suleiman arrived in the Jewish state a day before his appearance before Knesset's powerful Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, said former Foreign Ministry Director General Alon Liel, who headed the Israeli side during the unofficial talks.

"We were invited by the foreign affairs and defense committee to attend a meeting on Israel's approach toward Syria. We are coming to tell them about the talks we held in the past," Liel told AFP.

Suleiman and Liel headed two-year secret unofficial talks in which understandings were reached for a peace treaty between Syria and Israel.

Reports of the talks first appeared in Israeli press in January and at the time, the Israeli and Syrian governments denied any knowledge of the contacts, which were held in Europe between September 2004 and July 2006 in the presence of a European mediator.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=81377

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

1. If this guy is a repuke...

He will be hailed as a hero, by all the usual morons. Especially those with their latest condemnation of Nancy Pelosi just falling from their lips.

[bemildred]

2. Negotiator: Damascus genuinely willing to initiate peace talks

American-Syrian national Ibrahim Suleiman, who has been involved in unofficial peace talks between Israel and Syria, told Israeli sources that he intends to clarify to Israel's government that Damascus is truly interested in initiating peace negotiations with Israel.

Suleiman will appear before the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Thursday, alongside Alon Liel, former director general of the Foreign Ministry. The two will brief the committee members on the secret, unofficial talks they conducted, and on the understandings they reached for a peace agreement between Israel and Syria.

Suleiman, who landed in Israel on Tuesday, will inform the committee of the extent of his connections with the Syrian regime. He will tell the MKs about the committee appointed by Syrian President Bashar Assad, which is headed by one of his army generals, to coordinate the talks with Israel. In addition, he will relay the messages he received from Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/847617.html

[bemildred]

3. Report: Assad refused to join Second Lebanon War

MK Ran Cohen (Meretz) met with Ibrahim Suleiman, a businessman of Syrian origin visiting Israel.

During the meeting, the two discussed the Second Lebanon War, and according to Suleiman much pressure from within Syria was applied on Syrian President Bashar Assad to join the war and fight Israel from the Golan Heights. Assad, however, refused. On Thursday Suleiman is scheduled to appear before Knesset's Defense and Foreign Affairs Committee. (Amnon Meranda)

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3386972,00.html

[Eugene]

4. Syria, Israel Rebuff Unofficial Envoy

Source: Associated Press

Syria, Israel Rebuff Unofficial Envoy

By LAURIE COPANS
The Associated Press
Thursday, April 12, 2007; 7:57 AM

JERUSALEM -- A Syrian-American businessman making an extraordinary
appearance before an Israeli parliamentary panel said Syria and Israel
ignored his efforts to turn informal talks into official negotiations on
ending their conflict, Israeli lawmakers said Thursday.

Ibrahim Suleiman was the first Syrian to address lawmakers in Israel,
appearing before parliament's powerful Foreign Affairs and Defense
Committee. The panel invited him to speak so it could evaluate his
claims to ties with top figures in the Damascus regime.

Earlier this year, it emerged that Suleiman held eight rounds of secret,
unofficial talks with a former director of Israel's Foreign Ministry,
Alon Liel, with the knowledge of their respective leaders. Both men
have said they concluded from their meetings that Syria was sincere
about resuming peace talks with Israel.

-snip-

In the course of the talks, Suleiman and Liel approached their respective
governments about reopening formal peace negotiations, broken off in
2000, but neither country responded, committee members said Suleiman
told them.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/12/AR2007041200614.html

[bemildred]

5. Israeli author lends support to Suleiman-Liel peace initiative

Author David Grossman has told the Syrian-American businessman who took part in unofficial talks with Israeli representatives on a peace deal with Damascus that he supports the endeavor.

"I will begin to act on the matter," Grossman said in a telephone call to Ibrahim (Abe) Suleiman, who left Israel on Friday.

During Suleiman's visit, he made an unprecedented appearance before the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.

On Thursday, Suleiman said he had high-level contacts with officials in Damascus on a possible peace agreement with Israel.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/848319.html