Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon accused Damascus of "influencing terror" against his country by sheltering the Hamas leaders.
In comments published Wednesday by the Jerusalem Post, Sharon said that recent reported declarations by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that he wanted peace talks were just a "public relations gesture".
"Syria is a factor which influences the terror against Israel," Sharon was quoted as saying by the English-language newspaper.
"The headquarters for terrorist organizations -- Hamas, Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front (for the Liberation of Palestine or PFLP), and a number of others -- operate in Damascus. The orders are given from there, and reports are sent back there."
"Syria is under US pressure today because of its position on Iraq, and because it allows terrorists to go through its territory on the way to Iraq," Sharon noted.
"So it is clear to me that the Syrians, in order to make life easier for themselves, find it convenient to say there are contacts, negotiations." (albawaba.com)
© 2004 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
