[IMRA: When Livni appointed a team to look into the efficacy of Olmert's
idea to retreat from the West Bank they found that retreat created a
security problem and then proposed a number of what could be generously
termed transparently half-baked solutions of the kind only a die-hard
retreat supporter could seriously embrace. But this time it isn't clear
that examining the underlying question of the efficacy of withdrawal - this
time from the Golan - is on the agenda. Instead the question is if there is
a chance to reach a deal to leave the Golan within the framework of the
ideologically driven Israeli offers to withdraw from the Golan that have
already been on the table.]
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FM Livni appoints envoy for possible Syria talks
By Akiva Eldar, Haaretz Correspondent 20 August 2006
www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/752253.html

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni appointed a special "project manager" for
possible negotiations with Syria. Yaakov (Yaki) Dayan, who until recently
was head of the diplomatic desk in the Foreign Ministry, met last week with
Tel Aviv University President Prof. Itamar Rabinovich, who headed the Syrian
negotiations team under Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in the mid-1990s.

Dayan is scheduled to meet shortly with Uri Sagi, who held the same post
under PM Ehud Barak in the late '90s. Dayan has been asked to present Livni
and Foreign Ministry officials with a document detailing the chances for
resuming the diplomatic dialogue with Syria in the light of Syrian and
Israeli positions on substantive issues such as borders, security and
normalization.
Ido Aharoni, Livni's media adviser, confirmed Saturday Livni's appointment
of Dayan but said there is no reason to infer from his appointment that
Livni advocates resuming talks with Syria.

Israeli experts are divided when it comes to analyzing Syrian President
Bashar Assad's intentions. Military Intelligence officials emphasize Assad's
recent military threats, while Foreign Ministry officials take seriously his
call to renew the peace talks.

People in both camps have expressed concern about the growing relations
between Iran and Syria as well as their increasing support for Hamas. The
declaration last week by Defense Minister Amir Peretz advocating the
creation of conditions for talking to Syria followed a series of talks with
Syria hands. Associates of Peretz say he has become convinced of the need to
examine Assad's intentions. They see he views the Syrian president as an
important factor in preventing a renewal of fighting on the northern border
and in enforcing the arms embargo on Lebanon.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert opposes any deviation from his strict policy of
boycotting Syria as long as the U.S. keeps it on its list of states that
support terror. After the outbreak of hostilities in the North, Washington
began considering a more conciliatory approach to Damascus. Israeli
officials, however, do not expect to see a change in American policy before
the Congressional elections this November.