Moscow May Host Middle East Follow-Up

Interest Growing in Talks On Israel-Syria Relations

By Robin Wright and Michael Abramowitz

Washington Post Staff Writers Thursday, November 29, 2007; Page A01

Russia and the United States are tentatively planning a second Middle East peace conference, in Moscow in early 2008, with major parties hoping to begin a comprehensive peace effort that would include direct talks between Israel and Syria, according to U.S., Russian, Arab and European officials.

Syria's delegate to this week's talks in Annapolis said yesterday that Damascus wants a Moscow gathering in order to begin negotiations between Syria and Israel over the Golan Heights, a border region seized by Israel during the 1967 war. "It is our hope that we can revive the Syrian track in Moscow," Syria's Deputy Foreign Minister Fayssal Mekdad said in an interview before departing Washington.

--read entire article--

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America has for far too long dominated the process of peace-talks between Israel and Palestine. We are constantly the nation that brings these two antagonists to the table and constantly the beneficiary of the reputation for breakdowns.

Our hands are not clean as the major armorers and financial supporters of Israel. Our forty years (50? 60?) of neglect for Palestine gets in the way across the table at Camp David. Which is off the subject, but background.

What a breakthrough idea to have Russia host the next meeting--let China in on the game, give Hugo Chavez a piece of the action, call in the Samoans. If that sounds like making fun of the decision, it's not. There are just so few laughs in the I-P standoff and all the late night comedy writers are on strike.

* For more in-depth articles by Jim on Middle East, check out Opinion-Columns.com