"Israel must look again at the possibilities of making peace with Syria, which has regional weight and does not at all fear the presence of American forces in Iraq," he told a press conference.

"Eighteen million Syrians who support their President Bashar al-Assad are a force whose importance the United States must recognise," he added.

"Israel must likewise recognise that this force is more powerful than all the weapons of mass destruction that it possesses."

Abrash said Syria "will continue to strive for peace and stability" in the Middle East even if Israel "has rejected every Syrian attempts to resume negotiations."

Assad said in December he wanted peace negotiations to resume with Israel to recover the Golan Heights, which Syria lost in 1967, in exchange for peace and normal relations.

WAR.WIRE