Syrian President Bashar Assad says his country will not recognise Israel before a peace accord is reached, and that democracy is not a goal for Syria.

In a French television interview, Assad says "it is impossible for recognition to occur before a peace accord". He says there would be "reciprocal recognition" if and when such an accord is reached.

Assaid said earlier that Syria has put forth a proposal for peace with longtime foe Israel. Assad held talks in Damascus with France's president.

He did not give details of the deal in the France-2 interview.

He said democracy is "not a goal" for Syria. He said Syria's goal is stability and that democracy is a "means to improve the country and reintroduce freedoms".



http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/syrian-president-says-democracy-not-a-goal-for-his-country/2008/09/05/1220121464891.html



So he will sign a peace accord with a country he thinks does not exist ?????
Given that logic, if obvious he is disinterested in a democracy.

If he is barring Democracy as a whole that is a pity. There are a number of good democratic formulas that could be used. Capitalist democracy would be at the bottom of the democratic list. If I were a leader who love my country, I would rather see a slow moving, stable equatible economic/political system, than the exploitive economically polarizing capitalist system. At least not until the population is educated to a level exceeding the other capitalist countries.

The government would run a bank, such as the CBA used to be. The power industry would be all goverment run, and make sure that all natural resourses are nationalised. And telecommunication would never be privatized, it is too strategically important to be left to shareholder whim & greed.