PRESIDENT Halez al Assad of Syria has said he now believes Israel is serious" about reaching a peace deal over the Israeli occupied Golan Heights, but he expects no progress until after May's Israeli election.
Meeting EU political representatives, including the Minister of State, Mr Gay Mitchell, in Damascus yesterday, Mr Assad maintained that a peace deal could have been signed by now, but claimed that Israel has slowed the talks process.
According to Mr Mitchell, he said he would welcome without reservation" an EU political role in the process. But there were no discussions on what that role should be.
The EU is keen to become more politically and economically involved in the peace process, and yesterday's visit of the EU troika" was part of a series of meetings expected to continue through the Irish presidency of the EU in the second half of this year.
Mr Assad's statement that he believes Israel is now serious is significant, as he told an EU delegation just last November that he believed the opposite. Mr Assad acknowledged specifically at yesterday's meeting that he had changed his mind since that last meeting, just two weeks before the assassination of the then Israeli prime minister, Mr Yitzhak Rabin.
US sponsored Israel Syria talks have been working in Maryland in the past few months towards an agreement in which Israel would hand back the Golan Heights, which it has occupied since 1967, in exchange for security guarantees.
Israel is known to favour handing the territory back, but only as part of a comprehensive peace which would normalise relations between the two countries.
Israel also favours retaining a manned surveillance station on the Golan, even after surrendering the territory, to guard against attack.
The proposal for Israeli troops on Syrian soil would very likely he unacceptable to Mr Assad, although it is suggested that Israel might now be prepared to allow some Syrian troops on Israeli soil as a quid pro quo. An alternative would be a multinational force on the Golan Heights in which troops from EU member states could play a role.
Israel's idea of a comprehensive deal would also include cross border cooperation on water energy and other infrastructural projects, and eventual full diplomatic relations.
Syria, with an external debt of some £20 billion, is also seeking a cancellation of part of its debt to EU member states as well as a substantial development assistance package. The EU is expected to consider significant economic aid for Syria if there is further progress on the peace talks with Israel and if the Union is given an as yet undefined role in the process.
Today the EU delegation the Italian Foreign Minister, Ms Susanna Agnelli, the Spanish Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Mr Fernandez Castano, and Mr Mitchell will have talks with the Israeli Prime Minister, Mr Shimon Perez, in Jerusalem.
They will then visit the PLO office in Orient House in East Jerusalem, before travelling to Gaza for a meeting with the Palestinian President, Mr Yasser Arafat.