No Doubt, Syria's Assad Is Part of the Evil Dictators

[Annie]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060305/wl_mideast_afp/syriaisraelmideasthamaslebanoniraq

Assad urges Hamas not to recognize Israel

Sun Mar 5, 11:32 AM ET

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad urged the radical movement Hamas, which now holds a majority in Palestinian parliament, not to recognize Israel unless Palestinians' rights are restored.

"Recognizing Israel is linked to the restitution of Palestinians' rights," Assad was quoting as saying by the SANA news agency during a speech Saturday to the fourth session of the general conference of Arab parties.

"There should not be recognition of Israel for free, as if it were a gift for Israel, so that the West is satisfied with us," Assad said in the speech, which he gave at the university of Damascus.

"Why are they asking for Hamas to recognize Israel, given that the Palestinian Authority has already recognized the state? That means there are other goals."

Assad said the victory of Hamas, which won 74 of 132 seats in January's Palestinian legislative election, provided an rallying opportunity for the Arab world.

"Hamas's victory in Palestinian elections constitutes a strong point which we must use to strengthen the Arab position," he said, promising that Syria would work for "good relations with Palestinian groups inside and outside of Palestine."

Assad also used his speech to criticize the United States and Israel for meddling in Middle East politics.

"The immediate pullout of occupation forces in Iraq is an urgent necessity and I call on Iraqis to unite on this question," Assad said, adding that US "occupation forces are partly responsible for anarchy" in Iraq.

The Syrian leader also criticized Israel, which he said "has neither history nor culture."

"Israel is at the origin of everything that is happening in the Middle East. The goal (of the United States) is to make Israel stronger. Therefore they declared war on a strong Arab country, Iraq," he said.

Turning to an ongoing political roundtable discussion on unity in neighboring Lebanon in the face of rifts over Syrian influence in the country, Assad described the effort as a "positive step."

"The dialogue which is happening in Lebanon today is a positive and reasonable step," Assad said.

"Syria and Lebanon are two brother countries that are impossible to separate."

Syria was the longtime powerbroker in Lebanon until its troops were withdrawn last April amid furor over the February 14, 2005 assassination of ex-premier Rafiq Hariri.

The inter-Lebanese talks, which began Thursday, include pro- and anti-Syrian Muslim and Christian leaders from across Lebanon's fractious political spectrum and aim to forge an until-now elusive unity.

Fourteen groups are participating in the week-long roundtable session, the first such meeting without Syrian supervision since Lebanon's debilitating 1975-1990 civil war.