In what could be the first major breakthrough in the longstanding Israeli-Syrian deadlock, Syrian President Hafez Assad is reportedly moving forward with a peace plan of his own.
Damascus has reportedly proposed a phased Israeli pullback from all of the Golan Heights over a period of two years in return for a full peace and normalization of relations between the two countries.
According to the Syrian proposal, relations would be established only upon completion of the last phase of the withdrawal. Israel’s position has been that full peace and normalization must come into effect before the final pullback, as was the case with the Sinai withdrawal under the terms of the 1979 peace treaty with Egypt.
According to the Israeli newspaper Davar, Assad made his proposal last week to U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher.
The report said that Christopher subsequently conveyed the proposal to Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, who agreed to study it and offer a full Israeli response during Christopher’s next shuttle trip to the region, currently set for some time in September.
‘FAINT SIGNS’ OF A NEW FLEXIBILITY
This important development, according to the newspaper, contributed to Christopher’s upbeat assessment to reporters of his visit to the region last week.
In his comments, Christopher said he foresaw real progress toward a breakthrough during his next round of Middle East shuttle diplomacy, which would be his fifth since May.
Rabin told his Cabinet on Sunday there were “faint signs” of a new flexibility emanating from Syria. Rabin did not elaborate, but his remark was immediately linked to the reports of the new Syrian proposal.
Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa, meanwhile, sought to downplay these reports. He asserted during a visit to Cairo on Sunday that no two-year withdrawal compromise was on the table. But Sharaa said his country’s negotiations with Israel were seriously engaged in “all aspects” of peace.
The news of movement by Syria prompted urgent demands from the opposition Likud bloc over the weekend for the dissolution of the Knesset and for the holding of new elections.
But the government brushed aside these calls, citing Rabin’s pledge to bring any land-for-peace agreement with Syria to a national referendum before it is ratified.
According to the Davar report, which was headlined in the paper’s weekend edition, the new Syrian proposal represents substantial movement by Assad on several key points:
* Syria accepts the Israeli demand for a full demilitarization of all the land that Israel vacates on the Golan.
* Syria no longer demands an equal demilitarization by Israel, but will make do with a “symbolic” demilitarization in Israel’s north. In the 1974 disengagement accord brokered by then Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, which is still in effect, Syria and Israel agreed on provisions calling for parallel but non-equal limitation of forces along the disengagement line.
* Syria is demanding a two-year withdrawal schedule, instead of the five years suggested by Israel or the four years reportedly proposed by the United States. According to Davar, Syria fears that if a Likud government is elected in November 1996, the new leadership may not implement an agreement reached by Rabin’s present Laborled government.
* On the question of whether Israel is to withdraw to the international border or to the June 4, 1967 line, Assad reportedly proposes that this be left to top-level discussions between himself and Rabin.
Syria has previously insisted on the June 4 line, but Israel has made it clear that it will not agree to give up its foothold all around Lake Kinneret, which it claims as its rightful territory according to the international demarcation in force under the British Mandate.
The Syrian proposal, according to Davar, accepts the idea of an American or other international or multinational peace force on the Golan after Israel’s withdrawal.
Assad reportedly told Christopher at their Aug. 7 meeting that he would like to see an agreement with Israel concluded before the end of the year.
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