ThreeNewCandidates, I agree with you when you say that Carter was a good man with high hopes. But I can't agree when you say that he "accomplished nothing" while he was in office. You are 50 years old, so surely you remember how Carter brought peace to the Middle East? And you must remember how very threatening that was to certain factions like the religious right in Iran, who had just overthrown the Shah. They wanted the drama to continue (and they had some legitimate grievances against the US, since we had been controlling Iran through the Shah) so they took American hostages to sabotage the peace, and OPEC jacked the price of oil and turned down the US oil supply for a while, to scare Americans enough not to re-elect Carter. Since you are 50, you must remember standing in line for hours during the 70s, waiting to buy gasoline. Trust me, it will only get worse in the future as the oil supply actually runs out. The party is over, people.
When will America wake up and rid ourselves of our dependancy on oil?
If we want to remain the "land of the free" we better start investing in renewable energy, NOW.
You ask, who would vote for Obama instead of McCain?
The answer: ANYONE WHO WANTS A STRONG AMERICA, FREE OF OIL DEPENDENCY.
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Is it true that the talks have gone fairly far?
Yes, I think so—far enough to justify the efforts we are making and the desire to continue. Whether it is sufficient is a little bit premature to say.
What can you say about the talks in detail? Do you think Israel would give up settlements, retreat to the pre-'67 borders? How do you see the final outcome of the negotiations?
Well, one can say that the borders, once agreed, will be closer to what they were in '67 than what they are today because we will give up a large part of the territories ... in the context of full, comprehensive peace and the total end of any hostilities.
Does that mean the Palestinians will give up the right of return?
I don't think they have to give it up. They don't have a right of return, and I don't think that this is on the agenda as far as Israel is concerned.
You said [a Palestinian state] would be closer to the pre-'67 borders. Do you think you can achieve such an agreement?
I think that the distance between us and them is not unbridgeable. I think that there are three issues which can be resolved: One is the territorial issue. The other is security arrangements. And the third is refugees.
Do you want peace with Syria, and do you think it's obtainable with President Bashar al-Assad?
We are very unhappy with the continued intensive involvement of Syria in the affairs of Lebanon and the lack of a democratic process in electing a new president in Lebanon. We are also unhappy with the continued links between Iran, Syria, Hizbullah and Hamas. [But] the relations between us and Syria have to be reexamined, [as well as] the possibility of making peace. It's not something that can be done publicly. I don't mind that President Assad made an announcement that there will be negotiations, but the actual negotiations ought to be discussed quietly. In principle, we are ready for it if they are.
In order to have a full peace with Israel, would Syria have to break with Iran? Is such a break possible?
Look, I don't know if this is a possibility or how you can describe it in terms of probabilities. But one thing I know, if I don't check it, I will never find out. I think at the end of the day, this will have to be the choice of Syria.
Have there been direct Israel-Syria talks, or have they all been conducted via the Turks?
I prefer not to go into these details.
Hasn't the United States been apprehensive about Israel-Syria negotiations for some time?
The international and local press ... [has left] the impression that America does not allow Israel to engage in negotiations with Syria. This is not true. I never heard from my friend George W. Bush any warning or any request not to negotiate with the Syrians. I think that if the Syrians will handle the negotiations with us in an appropriate manner, they will be surprised to see how these negotiations can improve their status with America. My personal view is that no one can be of better help to this process than President Bush. Because any new president in America, if confronted with this issue, will have to wait two years at least until he learns enough and finds the appropriate time to devote to this, while Bush knows, Bush is familiar and Bush understands. Therefore, if one is interested in a [Syrian-Israeli] process that ultimately leads to a public endorsement by the United States of America, then he has to hurry up. I believe, for reasons that I don't want to go into, that for Syria, the road to Washington must cross Jerusalem. I know what I'm talking about.
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