September 18, 2007 (LPAC)--Lyndon LaRouche today strongly endorsed a recent call by Israeli President Shimon Peres for the resumption of peace talks with Syria. Speaking with a group of foreign journalists at his Jerusalem office, the Israeli President had declared that "The nervousness in relations between ourselves and Syria is over. We are ready to negotiate directly." Peres' comments came within hours of the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz reporting that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert had also said that he is prepared, under the right circumstance, to begin peace talks with Syria "with no preconditions." Olmert was speaking with Russian journalists when he made the comments, in response to questions about U.S. government opposition to Syrian participation in the upcoming Middle East peace conference in Washington.

LaRouche commented on the Peres announcement that Israel is ready for talks with Syria, noting "This has substance. Objectively, there is no reason, from an Israeli national interest standpoint, not to have peace talks with Syria." LaRouche further recommended that one substantive issue that could be addressed is the need for fresh water development, and the prospects of nuclear powered desalination as a means of expanding the overall amount of water. "Isn't it time," LaRouche asked, "for a war-proof design for nuclear desalination? Isn't Syria a likely partner to Israel for such an agreement?"