Syrian President: Potential Results of Negotiations with Israel in the Coming Days

SadaNews - Syrian President, Ahmad al-Shara, stated Wednesday evening that the ongoing negotiations with Israel for a security agreement "could lead to results in the coming days," emphasizing that any agreement of this kind must include respect for Syrian airspace and the unity of Syrian territories, and must be subject to United Nations monitoring. Al-Shara clarified that "peace and normalization with Israel are not on the table at this stage," considering that the priority is to reach security understandings that ensure the stability of the borders and protect Syrian sovereignty. The Syrian president added that the success of the security agreement could open the door to the possibility of reaching "other agreements in the future," but he stressed at the same time that the United States "is not exerting any pressure on Damascus to reach an agreement with Israel." Earlier on Wednesday, Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer met in London with Syrian Foreign Minister Osama al-Shaibani and the US envoy to Syria and Lebanon, Tom Barak, who mediates between the two sides, according to Channel 12 in Israel. According to the channel, the meeting addressed the Israeli proposal regarding a new security agreement between Israel and Syria, as part of political and diplomatic efforts led by the American mediator. The report indicated that it remains unclear how much progress was made during the meeting. Israel presented Syria weeks ago with a detailed proposal for a new security agreement, which includes a map of the security arrangements that Tel Aviv seeks to impose, including disarmament in the area extending from southwest Damascus to the border in the occupied Golan. According to Channel 12, the proposed agreement aims to replace the ceasefire agreement signed in 1974, which Israel announced had collapsed since the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime last December. It noted that the essence of the plan is inspired by the peace agreement with Egypt, by dividing the area into three zones with varying security arrangements. The Israeli proposal stipulates the expansion of the buffer zone at the border by an additional two kilometers from the Syrian side, preventing the deployment of the Syrian army or heavy weapons, allowing only police and internal security forces. It also includes a total ban on the Syrian air force flying in the area extending southwest of Damascus to the border. In return, Israel offered a gradual withdrawal from all Syrian territories it occupied, except for the summit of Mount Sheikh, where it insists on maintaining its presence in any future agreement. The channel stated that Israel is seeking to arrange a meeting between its Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Syrian President Ahmad al-Shara in New York at the end of this month, although the likelihood of it occurring remains low.