ARABS-ISRAEL - Feb. 18 - Syria Accuses Israel Of Disrupting Peace Talks.

In a letter to UN Secretary-Gen. Annan, Syria's FM Al Sharaa accuses Israel not only of disrupting ME peace talks, but also of resorting to military attacks instead of political dialogue. Al Sharaa is responding to a letter from Israeli FM Levy, who accused Hizbollah guerrillas in southern Lebanon of escalating attacks. Levy also warns that Syria would be blamed for undermining peace efforts if it didn't act to stop the attacks. On Feb. 18, Annan issues his 2nd statement in 10 days warning that the high level of tension in south Lebanon "has the potential for further destabilisation of the already very fragile situation". UN spokeswoman Marie Okabe says the secretary-general called on all parties to exercise restraint, respect civilians and "redouble their efforts to achieve measurable progress in the peace process". (Israeli warplanes had destroyed 3 Lebanese power stations and blasted Hizbollah positions in south Lebanon. The air-strikes came after guerrillas killed more than a half dozen Israeli soldiers in a zone that Israel occupies in Lebanon as a buffer against attacks on its northern towns.) In a Feb. 9 letter, Levy said Israel would continue to defend northern Israel "and will take all necessary measures in order to strike at terrorists and those who support and abet them". Responding to Levy's letter, Al Sharaa says Israel's demand that Lebanon and Syria curb Hizbollah's "terrorism" ignores the legitimate right of resistance movements to fight against "foreign occupation". He accuses Israel of ignoring UN resolutions to withdraw its forces from Lebanon. Al Sharaa says: "Israel's arrogance of power has reached such an extent that the aggressor is transformed into a victim and the actual victim, defending its territory on its own soil, has become, in Israel's understanding, an aggressor". But even more serious than Israel blaming Hizbollah, he says, "is the fact that his letter conveys a threat of further aggression and of recourse to military action against Lebanon". Al Sharaa says: "Israel's chief diplomat not only went so far as to threaten the use of force but went on to appear in person on the world's television screens with the promise to burn and destroy Lebanon". He also says that negotiations in January in Shepherdstown, W.Va., demonstrated that Israel was unwilling to withdraw from the Golan Heights, which it captured during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. (The talks were postponed because Syria wanted assurances that Israel would withdraw from the Golan Heights, but Israel first wanted to know the extent of peace arrangements Syria was prepared to offer.)