ARABS-ISRAEL - Oct 12 - Syrian Overtures On Golan Heights Spark Israeli Debate.

Syrian calls for peace talks with Israel on the return of the occupied Golan Heights have stirred an Israeli debate in the aftermath of the summer war in Lebanon. But while some politicians and commentators suggest Damascus' "charm offensive" should not be rejected out of hand, the government says Syria must end support for radical Palestinian and Israeli groups if it wants to revive negotiations. Syria on Oct 12 dismissed an invitation by Shimon Peres, Israel's veteran statesman, to visit Jerusalem. But in a series of recent interviews, Pres Bashar al-Assad , has held out again the prospect of a negotiated settlement with Israel while warning that Syria also was prepared for war. Western diplomats said Assad appears to believe Syria has emerged reinvigorated from the July war in Lebanon in which its Hizbullah allies put up a strong fight against Israeli forces. He might now consider that he can restart peace negotiations on his own terms. The peace process between Israel and Syria broke down in 2000. The only deal Damascus would accept is a full return of the Golan Heights, occupied in 1967 and subsequently annexed. Syrian officials say talks would have to resume where they left off in 2000. Gershon Baskin, head of an institute that promotes Arab-Israeli dialogue, said Israel was wrong to set conditions for negotiations with its neighbours. "These preconditions do nothing but close the door to dialogue and paint a picture of an Israel that is not really interested in peace", he wrote in the Jerusalem Post. Gilad Sher, a former Israeli peace negotiator, said: Israel must not reject Assad's hints outright but, rather, it must begin a cautious, measured and pragmatic process in which Assad's willingness is analysed". The government of Ehud Olmert was undermined by Israel's performance in the conflict against Hizbullah and is presently suffering from a policy vacuum on both the domestic and internal fronts. Talks with Syria could provide a new agenda, particularly if peace negotiations with the Palestinians are not restarted. But the prime minister may also be too weak politically to revive a peace process that would involve giving back the Golan Heights. The official government view in Israel is that Assad is promoting himself as a peacemaker in order to break out of his diplomatic isolation in both the region and the world. Officials noted his was the only state to have a strategic alliance with Iran and to support groups such as Hizbullah. "He's trying to get out of his isolation the cheap way", one official said. Western diplomats said in spite of Assad's apparent belief that Syria was stronger after the war in Lebanon, there had been no improvement in his relations with regional states or with European governments that believe the Damascus regime was behind the 2005 assassination of Rafiq Hariri, former Lebanese prime minister. The diplomats said Assad might have misread the signals coming from Israel immediately after the Lebanon war, including the statements from some ministers that the Israeli government might be ready for negotiations with Damascus.