'US Determined to Forge Peace'

Curt Here...

US Special Mideast envoy George Mitchell will visit Israel later today after finishing up a visit with President Assad of Syria. At the news conference with President Assad, Mitchell said "I told President Assad that President Obama is determined to facilitate a truly comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace, and that peace means between Palestinians and Israelis, between Syria and Israel, and between Lebanon and Israel."

To Syria, peace means getting back an area of land that Israel took during the six day war in 1967 called the Golan Heights. This is a highly strategic area that Israel captured because Syria used to use the Golan Heights as a point of offensive maneuvers against Israel. If Syria were to get this area back, Israel would surely be less secure. Israel would be crazy to agree to this idea.

On Mitchell's agenda in Israel is a comprehensive peace deal and the normalization of relations between Israel and the rest of the Arab world. The continuing problem with this is the Arab world, along with the International community believe in order for this idea to have a chance, Israel must first immediately freeze all settlement expansion and construction. This includes the idea of zero growth inside existing settlements. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu does not and shows no signs that he will agree to this.

As you can see there are many obstacles to Mideast peace. I have listed just a few and there are many more. With the US determined to forge peace and with EU High Representative Javier Solana saying now is the time to force Peace by UN mandate, I believe now more than ever could be the time the ancient Biblical Prophets spoke about.

Are you ready?

Stay Tuned

Curt

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'US determined to forge peace'

Special Mideast envoy George Mitchell met Sunday with Syrian President Bashar Assad, afterwards saying in a joint press conference that the meeting had addressed various ways of promoting regional peace and improving the relations between Washington and Damascus.

Mitchell, who is set to come to Israel later Sunday, said that the US was committed to a dialogue based on mutual respect and shared interests, adding that US President Barack Obama was "determined" to forge an agreement between Israel and the Arab world.

Mitchell described his talks with Assad as "very candid and positive", saying he discussed with the Syrian leader "the prospects for moving forward on our goal of comprehensive peace in the region and improved bilateral relations between Syria and the United States.

"I told President Assad that President Obama is determined to facilitate a truly comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace," he said. "That peace means between Palestinians and Israelis, between Syria and Israel, and between Lebanon and Israel.

"And of course, ultimately, the full normalization of relations between Israel and all of the countries in the region. This is what the Arab peace initiative calls for, and it is the ultimate aim of the effort we are undertaking," Mitchell said.

At the opening of the weekly cabinet meeting Sunday, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu commented on the upcoming arrival of Mitchell and three very senior US foreign policy and security figures being dispatched to Israel, saying the visit was routine and not indicative of a rift in the relations between the two countries.

"These visits are being held as part of the diverse relationship between Israel and the US, a relationship that existed in the past and continues to exist today," Netanyahu said.

"Naturally, even within the fabric of friendly relations between allies there are points over which there is not full agreement," the prime minister continued. "We are trying to arrive at an agreement so that we can promote our objectives: peace, security and prosperity for the entire Middle East."

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