DEBKAfile Exclusive: Damascus states willingness for early talks with Washington on Golan and “other issues,” denies Israeli attack targeted a Syrian nuclear reactor

October 24, 2007, 11:18 PM (GMT+02:00)

Syria’s openness to dialogue with the United States, according to one statement, covers unspecified “other issues’ related to Israel as well as Lebanon and Iraq.

In a second statement issued Wednesday night, Oct. 24, Damascus denied American media disclosures Wednesday that a nuclear reactor was the target of the Israeli attack near the Syrian Desert village of A-Tibnah on Sept. 6.

The Syrian statements, delivered by Dr. Fawzi Shueiebi, over Syrian state television, cited DEBKAfile and DEBKA-Net-Weekly as primary sources for Syrian policy-making on these issues.

DEBKAfile’s military sources report now that the media disclosures Wednesday in the United States confirm the revelation in DNW 320 of Oct. 5 that Damascus was setting up an installation for making “dirty bombs.”

DNW 321 first reported Washington’s intention to start a dialogue with Damascus on Oct. 12.