Israel means war, says Syria

The mouthpiece of Syria's ruling Baath party said yesterday that the formation of a national unity government in Israel would…

The mouthpiece of Syria's ruling Baath party said yesterday that the formation of a national unity government in Israel would mean the Jewish state was preparing for war.

"Arabs must understand that Israeli Prime Minister-elect Ariel Sharon's `Nos' are the same as [the outgoing Prime Minister] Ehud Barak's, and it is needless to say that the formation of a national unity government in Israel means only one thing: that [Israel] is preparing for war," al-Baath said.

"Israel, whomever it is led by, does not want to make peace," said the Syrian daily, adding: "It only wants to consolidate its occupation of the Arab territories, annex some more and populate them with more Jews to impose its policy of fait accompli.

"All Arabs must therefore undertake serious action to fight against the Israeli methods," al-Baath added.

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Mr Sharon, who was elected prime minister last Tuesday, has launched negotiations with the Labour party to build a workable coalition government.

On Sunday, the Syrian Foreign Minister, Mr Faruq alShara, reiterated his call on Arabs to use the "peaceful weapon of boycott" against Israel.

When Mr Sharon was elected last week, al-Baath said the Israeli hardliner's victory was "a declaration of war" against the Arabs.