Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad said that US President Barack Obama should come up with a firm plan of action to renew peace talks between Syria and Israel. In an interview with French daily Le Figaro published Friday, Assad said the dialogue initiated by Obama's administration had not gone “beyond an exchange of views.” “There has not been an executive plan,” he said. Assad is due to meet French President Nicolas Sarkozy Friday, hot on the heels of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who was in Paris earlier this week. While Netanyahu said he was ready to start peace negotiations with Assad immediately, the Syrian leader accused Israel of not truly wanting to relaunch talks. “But the weak point is the American sponsor (of peace talks),” Assad told Le Figaro. “What Obama said about peace was a good thing. We agree with him on the principles, but as I said, what's the action plan? The sponsor has to draw up an action plan,” he said. Assad said that while relations with the US had improved, issues such as continued US sanctions against Syria were hindering any joint work towards peace in the Mideast. Asked about Israel's complaint to the United Nations earlier this month about what it said was an Iranian attempt to supply weapons by ship to Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, Assad accused Israel of lying. “What proof is there that the arms were for Hezbollah or someone else?” he said, adding that a sovereign state had the right to buy arms. He said Israel's seizure of the ship amounted to “an act of piracy.” He also said the new government formed in Lebanon created stability and made it easier for Syria to have normal relations with its neighbor.
