Assad: By war or peace, we will liberate the Golan

[bemildred]

Syrian President Bashar Assad is escalating his rhetoric against Israel, vowing that "the day in which we will be liberated is at hand - by peace or war."

Assad told the Qatari newspaper A-Sharq in an interview published on Thursday: "This enemy does not want peace. What is the alternative? The parallel route to the peace process is resistance. The Israeli will not come by his own will, so there is no alternative but for him to come from fear."

In his first public statements since assuming his post this week, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman was cool to continued peace talks with Damascus.

"There is no cabinet resolution regarding negotiations with Syria, and we have already said that we will not agree to withdraw from the Golan Heights," Lieberman said. "Peace will only be in exchange for peace."

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1075930.html

[aquart]

1. Syria seems to be having lots of fun.

Checking to see what the Americans will do. This is an Obama test.

[GoesTo11]

2. Just talking tough for internal consumption before he kowtows to Israel.

So when Syria accepts a peace with Israel, Assad can claim to his people that he forced Israel to do it. Whatever, if this is what it takes for the cowardly lion to come to the table, let him roar.