Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa warned of the risk of new unrest in the Middle East if his country and Israel fail to reach a security agreement.
اضافة اعلان
During a panel discussion organized in New York by the U.S.-based Middle East Institute, al-Sharaa — who will become the first Syrian president to deliver an address before the UN General Assembly since 1967 — said: “We are not the ones causing problems for Israel. We fear Israel, not the other way around.”
He added: “There are multiple risks linked to the fact that Israel is stalling negotiations while continuing to violate our airspace and penetrate our territory.”
Al-Sharaa rejected any discussion of dividing his country, at a time when Israel continues its incursions in southern Syria, where it claims to be protecting the interests of the Druze minority.
The Syrian president said: “Jordan is under pressure, and any talk of partitioning Syria will harm Iraq and will harm Turkey.”
He added that “this will take us all back to square one,” noting that his country has only just emerged from a civil war that lasted a decade and a half.
Formally, Syria and Israel remain in a state of war, but following the fall of the Assad regime, the two countries began direct negotiations that included bilateral ministerial-level meetings.
On Monday, al-Sharaa ruled out any Syrian recognition of Israel at this stage.
For his part, U.S. Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barak said that Syria and Israel are close to concluding a “de-escalation” agreement under which Israel would halt its attacks while Syria would commit not to move any heavy equipment or machinery near the Israeli border.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meetings in New York, Barak said the agreement would be the first step toward the broader security deal the two sides are negotiating. Syria and Israel are holding talks aimed at securing an agreement that Damascus hopes will ensure an end to Israeli airstrikes and the withdrawal of Israeli forces that have advanced into southern Syria.
Barak said U.S. President Donald Trump had sought to broker an agreement between the two sides to be announced this week, but insufficient progress had been made so far, while the Jewish New Year holiday this week also slowed the process. –(Agencies)
