Will pigs fly? Report: Bush offered to press Israel to quit Golan if Syria cuts Iran ties

Syria has already made it clear that it will not cut ties with Iran, and Israel for its part is evidently willing to return the Golan - if Syria cuts ties with Iran. So what is the deal here?

 

Last update - 12:14 17/10/2008       
Report: Bush offered to press Israel to quit Golan if Syria cuts Iran ties
By Jack Khoury, Haaretz Correspondent

 

U.S. President George W. Bush has apparently offered his Syrian counterpart, Bashar Assad, to press Israel to withdraw from the Golan Heights if Damascus promises to cut its relations with Iran, the Kuwaiti newspaper al-Jareida reported on Friday.

 

According to the report, Bush made the offer in a handwritten letter transferred to Assad by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

 

A Palestinian source close to Abbas told the newspaper that the U.S. had presented the offer in a meeting with Syrian officials day earlier.
 
If Assad agrees to the American proposal, he will carry out his end of the deal in the coming weeks, said the report.

 

Bush is keen on implementing the deal before the upcoming U.S. elections, said the newspaper, in order to significantly advance the peace process before the end of his term.

 

The Palestinian source said that Abbas and his entourage were unaware of the content of Bush's letter, as it was meant to remain covert and away from diplomatic eyes, according to the report.

 

Even the American envoy in Damascus was not privy to this information, said the newspaper.

 

Despite this, the Palestinian source said that Abbas' latest visit to Damascus was intended for the principle purpose of passing on this letter, said the newspaper. While on the visit, he scheduled no meetings with Palestinian officials or other diplomats in the area.