Israel denies knowledge of Bush letter to Assad offering Israeli pullout
from Golan
By Jack Khoury and Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondents Last update - 05:48
19/10/2008
www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1029824.html

Jerusalem sources denied over the weekend any knowledge of a U.S. proposal
to Syria, to the effect that Israel would pull out of the Golan if Syria
severs its ties with Iran, as reported in the Kuwaiti newspaper al-Jarida on
Friday.

President George W. Bush reportedly made the offer in a secret letter that
was delivered to Syrian President Bashar Assad by Palestinian President
Mahmoud Abbas during his recent visit to Damascus. Bush wants to advance the
Israel-Syria negotiations before leaving the White House in January,
al-Jarida reported.

According to the report, Bush made the offer in a handwritten letter
transferred to Assad by Abbas.

A Palestinian source close to Abbas told the newspaper that the U.S. had
presented the offer in a meeting with Syrian officials a day earlier.

If Assad agrees to the American proposal, he will carry out his end of the
deal in the coming weeks, said the report.

Bush is keen on implementing the deal before the upcoming U.S. elections,
said the newspaper, in order to significantly advance the peace process
before the end of his term.

The Palestinian source said that Abbas and his entourage were unaware of the
content of Bush's letter, as it was meant to remain covert and away from
diplomatic eyes, according to the report.

Even the American envoy in Damascus was not privy to this information, said
the newspaper.

Despite this, the Palestinian source said that Abbas' latest visit to
Damascus was intended for the principle purpose of passing on this letter,
said the newspaper. While on the visit, he scheduled no meetings with
Palestinian officials or other diplomats in the area.