Syrian President Bashar Assad said Monday that he is willing to sign a peace agreement with Israel in exchange for the Golan Heights.
In an interview with the Italian daily newspaper
La Republica, Assad added that he did not think it necessary to break Syria's strong ties with Iran in order to make peace with Israel.
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The Syrian president maintained in the interview that the US has lost
its influence in the Middle East and should not be depended on to bring
peace to the region.
Assad differentiated between US President Barack Obama, who he said
brought hope to the Middle East, and the US itself. He claimed that
Obama has good intentions, but is powerless to affect real change in the
region because of the Congress and lobbies involved in decision making.
Assad denied
Israeli claims
that Syria supplied Hizbullah with Scud
missiles. He maintains that these allegations are an Israeli
diversion
meant to avoid a peace settlement.