Syrian Vice President Farouk al- Shara said on Tuesday that his country has no intention of war against arch-foe Israel to regain the occupied Golan Heights and that the Jewish state knows that.
Speaking at a lecture here in Damascus, Shara said "Israel knows we don't want war. We should always be ready to respond to the Israeli aggression, but Syria will not start a war."
"People on Syria's streets do not want war, although they will not accept anything less than Israeli withdrawal from the whole of the occupied Golan Heights," Shara said.
"The Arab initiative is clear in this regard and we support it, " he added, referring to an Arab peace proposal which offers normal ties with Israel in return for its withdrawal from all the occupied land since 1967, including the Syrian Golan.
Peace talks between Syria and Israel collapsed in 2000 largely due to the disaccord over the fate of the strategic Golan plateau, occupied by Israel in 1967 and annexed in 1981 in a move which was declared null by the United Nations Security Council.
Syria has repeatedly expressed interest in resuming talks with Israel through a third party, but Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert recently offered to begin direct peace negotiations between the two countries without the mediation of the United States.
Syria and Israel are still technically at war with each other.
Source: Xinhua
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