Local Israeli consul examines peace talks

Comparing peace negotiations between Israel and Syria to haggling with a recalcitrant store owner, Israeli Consul Eli Avidar said Syrian President Hafez Assad is refusing to make any major concessions -- just as a store owner rejects the notion of lowering prices. Taking the analogy further, Avidar said Assad understands the value of peace between Syria and Israel, as the store owner knows the true value of his goods. Avidar, who is consul to the Mid-Atlantic region, spoke Monday night to approximately 40 students at Van Pelt Library about Israeli-Syrian negotiations and Sunday's terrorist bombings. "He doesn't work in a democratic system," Avidar said of Assad. "The only opposition he has is himself." Avidar said that for five years, Israel has been negotiating with Syria over the Golan Heights, a region on the border of the two countries, held by Israel since 1967. "We should make a transformation to a place of peace," he said. Avidar added that Israel is asking for four main guarantees from Syria in return for concessions on the Golan. First, he said, Israel wants Syria's troops to retreat a considerable distance from the Golan Heights. "That's not an easy task for a totalitarian country," Avidar said. Since Israel's "major source of water" is in the Golan Heights, Avidar said Israel also needs assurance that the water will still be available. Israel is also calling for open diplomatic relations with Syria, according to Avidar. "We would like to have an exchange of ambassadors and embassies," he said. Finally, Israel wants people to be able to freely cross the Israel-Syria border, as they can now cross the Israel-Jordan border, Avidar said. Although Syria seems reluctant to agree to any of these terms, Avidar said he is confident that the two countries will reach an agreement soon, citing recent events that have defied expectations. "People didn't believe that the [Palestine Liberation Organization] would have democratic elections," he said, referring to the vote that took place last month. Avidar also discussed Sunday's terrorist bombings in the cities of Jerusalem and Ashkelon, explaining that they should not affect the Israel-Syria peace talks. "It's the obligation of Yasser Arafat and the PLO to stop terror and stop Hamas and stop Islamic Jihad," he said. College sophomore and IsraeLink Political Coordinator Seth Lasser said he was generally pleased with Avidar's speech, which IsraeLink sponsored. "It was good to hear an Israeli government official say that the Syrians are being stubborn," said Lasser, a Daily Pennsylvanian columnist. Deborah Lichtenfeld, Philadelphia coordinator for the World Zionist Organization's University Student Department, said Avidar explained the complex situation very clearly. "The change has happened so rapidly that you really need to be on top of it," she said. Avidar said he appreciated the University community's activism on these issues.

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