Arlen Specter meets with Assad

Outgoing Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter in a Damascus meeting with Syrian President Bashar Assad discussed a role as a peace mediator between Syria and Israel.

The weekend meeting, first reported in

the Israeli and Turkish media, was confirmed by JTA. The 80-year-old senator was defeated in a Democratic primary after switching from the Republican Party and is said to be looking for a more majestic career ender.

Specter (D-Pa.), who is Jewish and has longstanding ties with Syria, brought with him a message from Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Daniel Ayalon. Ayalon reportedly said Israel was ready to resume talks without preconditions, that it did not plan to launch attacks on its northern border and that a Syria-brokered release of Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier held captive in the Gaza Strip, would be a goodwill gesture. Hamas, the terrorist group that controls Gaza, is close to the Assad regime.

Specter then flew to Damascus, where he met with Assad. There was no official word about the meeting.

Both Syria and Israel have concerns about the prospect of another Israeli war with Lebanon, which borders both nations. Hezbollah, an Iran-backed terrorist group, has built its arms capacity since its last war with Israel in 2006 and reportedly is seeking an excuse to oust the country’s Western-leaning government. — jta