Nasrallah: US preventing Israel-Syria talks

Hizbullah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah has said that Washington is not allowing Jerusalem to negotiate with Syria, Israel Radio reported Monday morning. In an interview with Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Anba, Nasrallah said that should such negotiations take place in the future and produce satisfactory results for Damascus, Hizbullah would have to examine the implications of the talks on Lebanon and on the Middle East as a whole. Syria has recently offered to negotiate with Israel without preconditions, sparking suspicion among defense and security officials that Damascus is acting more out of fear of an international tribunal on the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri than out of a genuine interest in peace.