by David Harris

    JERUSALEM, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- During a week in which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad pay visits to Paris successively, both men have talked about the possibility of renewing peace talks between their countries.

    Arabic-language satellite TV channel al-Arabiya reported, citing "knowledgeable sources", that Netanyahu told his host, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, on Wednesday to pass a message to Assad, calling for immediate and unconditional negotiations.

    Meanwhile, also speaking on Wednesday, Assad talked of both peace and resistance.

    These developments have led to speculation among media and analysts that France tries to broker a peace agreement between the old enemies.

    UNDERSTANDING ASSAD'S WORDS

    The Syrian leader made his comments during his keynote address to the fifth General Conference of the Arab Parties in Damascus.

    His main focus was on achieving peace not so much through negotiations but rather by showing the Israelis just how strong the Arab nation can be.

    "It is wrong to believe that peace comes through negotiations, rather it comes through resistance, so we must support the resistance because by doing so we support the peace process," the official Syrian news agency SANA quoted him as saying.

    "Resistance and negotiations are one axis, and both of them aim to restore the legitimate rights which we will not abandon," he added.

    The president explained that almost two decades of peace talks with Israel have proved that "Israel's imaginary power lies in the Arabs' real weakness." When Arab power becomes real, he argued, Israel's weaknesses can be detected and then "we can attain peace the way we want."

    There is no new message here, said Syrian expert Moshe Maoz from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. "He has said it before and his father (the late President Hafez al-Assad) said it before him," Maoz told Xinhua on Thursday.

    Another repeated theme by Assad, the son, is the desire for peace. The twin messages of resistance and peace are often presented together in Damascus, said Maoz.

    It is a view shared by Rime Allaf, associate fellow at the London-based Royal Institute of International Affairs, better known as Chatham House. Resistance does not preclude peace, she said in explaining the Syrian philosophy.

    When Assad uses such themes and imagery, he is not only talking about the Golan Heights, which Israel wrestled from Syria in the 1967 War and has occupied ever since, he is also talking about Palestinian and Lebanese resistance, said Allaf.

    "It's what Syrians and many others, of course, say is a legitimate right if your land is occupied, to defend yourself and to resist the occupation so that you can liberate your land," said Allaf.

    The fact that Syria has been negotiating with Israel for some 20 years, while these types of comments have been made by Syrian leaders is proof that Damascus can talk peace and resistance at the same time, Allaf added.

    RENEWING PEACE TALKS

    The latest peace overtures from both sides come as the Israeli-Palestinian track has been going through a tough patch. Talks were derailed a year ago when Ehud Olmert was still Israel's prime minister. Since then, Netanyahu and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas have been unable to agree on terms for a resumption of negotiations.

    That has left a possible window of opportunity on the Israeli-Syrian front, said Maoz.

    Traditionally, talks with Syria have tended to take place when there has been a lull in meetings between Israelis and Palestinians. Some analysts argue Israel's apparent preparedness to talk to Syria is merely a ploy to make the Palestinians realize they could be missing out on a deal.

    Maoz, though, suggests the Syrian track is probably an easier option for the Israelis. It does not include the need to tackle issues such as the resettling of a huge refugee population and the division of Jerusalem.

    The problem is knowing from where to launch negotiations, said Peter Harling, the Iraq, Syria and Lebanon director of the International Crisis Group.

    When Israel and Syria were last involved in indirect talks, while Olmert was still Israeli premier, the Turkish brokers reportedly managed to advance the discussion to the point at which Israel was prepared to renege on the Golan.

    "There's a strong preference in Syria for restarting talks from where they broke off, but that would basically need on Israel's part a renewed commitment to the principle of withdrawal. Without such a commitment I think negotiations would be impossible. The Syrians would see that as starting from scratch," said Harling.

    For his part, Netanyahu has said that is exactly what he wants to do. The Israeli government is prepared to begin talking tomorrow but only without preconditions.

    PEACE ROLE FOR FRENCH

    This stand off means that whoever decides they want to act as a broker between Israel and Syria is going to have to find a compromise formula.

    This week Sarkozy looks as though he may want to pick up the mantle of negotiator.

    The Americans are currently focused on the Palestinian track and therefore are less interested in a role on the Syrian path right now, said Harling.

    "There's a vacuum created, which someone like President Sarkozy, being an activist as he is, may decide to fill," said Harling.

    However, all the three experts agree that the Americans will have to play a role of one sort or another in reaching a deal.

    Harling believes another party can launch the talks, but the U.S. would have to close them.

    Maoz is of the opinion that only the U.S. can be a serious player on this track. "The Syrians realize that only the Americans can get a commitment from the Israelis," he said.

    Allaf has a different take on the American role. Everyone knows nothing can be done without some input from Washington, she said. However, the 1993 Oslo Accords that created the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) were the result of a deal brokered by Norway. "It's an example of a third party, which is actively trying to work out a deal with of course the backing of America," she said.

    The Turks could not currently fill that role in all likelihood because of the deterioration in their ties with Israel over the last year.

    If the French, on the other hand, were to try to take up the mantle, as they did in recent years regarding fighting within Lebanon, they could have success given their ability to engage all parties, said Allaf.