Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon will not be qualified to come up with any peace initiative in the coming months after the crushing defeat he suffered at the hands of his own ruling Likud Party, Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa declared Monday.
Sharaa was speaking to reporters after briefing President Emile Lahoud on the outcome of talks by the Egyptian and Syrian presidents, Hosni Mubarak and Bashar Assad and the Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah held in Sharm el-Sheikh over the weekend. The talks had ended with a denunciation of Israeli military attacks against the Palestinians and a call on Arabs to back a recent Beirut summit peace initiative.
Sharaa predicted “a kind of recess in Israeli politics for the next few months because of the elections, which took place in the Likud Party yesterday, and Sharon’s crushing defeat in these elections.”
“This will reflect on the whole international political situation in Israel over the coming months. Naturally, he (Sharon) will remain prime minister, but will not be qualified to undertake any peace initiative,” he added.
Referring to a vote adopted by the Likud Party ruling out the creation of a Palestinian state, Sharaa said this was tantamount to Israel’s “reply to any true Arab desire for peace.”
“I believe that Israeli intentions at the highest level are not peaceful ones,” he added.
Sharaa further said that “following the criminal military operations carried out by Sharon’s government, I don’t believe the atmosphere in the region is one of peace. Some time must pass so that a minimum level of confidence in the peace process returns.”
“This does not mean that we are now against peace, but we should be realistic and take advantage of the coming days to prepare ourselves for a position that would help the peace process. This position largely depends on Israeli policy,” he added.
Sharaa also said his country’s foreign policy stood firm in its principles, which were based on international legality and UN resolutions and enjoyed the support of the whole international community.
“There is no embarrassment or feeling of shame in reiterating and repeating these principles,” he added.
An official statement said discussions during Sharaa’s meeting with Lahoud covered current regional developments and the two sides agreed on the need to implement Arab summit resolutions, particularly those relating to the Arab peace initiative.
Sharaa was earlier welcomed at the border by his Lebanese counterpart, Mahmoud Hammoud, who reaffirmed Arab adherence to the peace initiative “as it provides for a solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict.”
Hammoud underlined the importance of “constant and continuing consultations and coordination with sisterly Syria and other Arab brethren, especially in the present critical and dangerous situation, to confront Israeli rejections and intransigence.”
He said the Likud Party’s vote rejecting the creation of a Palestinian state “reaffirms what we have repeatedly said, namely that Israel is not ready for peace and that its policy is based on continuing rejection of a just and comprehensive peace.”
Meanwhile, during his short visit to Beirut, Sharaa also visited Speaker Nabih Berri before reviewing the regional situation and bilateral ties with Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. ­ With agencies

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