Syrian-American negotiator Ibrahim Suleiman said Thursday that Damascus is prepared to 
begin peace talks with Israel, adding that he believed an initial agreement could be 
reached within six months.
"Since 1948 Israeli leaders have said they are ready to talk peace anytime and anywhere," 
Suleiman told reporters at a news conference after addressing the Knesset Foreign Affairs 
and Defense Committee. "Syria right now is ready to speak peace." David Baker, an official 
in the Prime Minister's Office, said in response: "The position of the Israeli government 
remains the same. The Syrian government is not pursuing peace but is merely posturing." 
"Syria continues to be more interested in providing safe haven to the 11 terrorist groups 
it is harboring in Damascus and fomenting terror against Israel wherever it can," Baker 
added. The peace plan drafted during the unofficial Syrian-Israeli negotiations would 
allow Syria to cut itself off from the Hezbollah and join the global struggle against 
terror, Suleiman told the committee on Thursday.

In other news, Negev Bar Kayama, established in 1998 to improve the environment in the 
south, is at the forefront of the change. Bilha Givon, who founded the organization, is 
spearheading the current efforts in Dimona, along with mayor Meir Cohen. Ben Shimol, who 
has a master's degree in education, is coordinating projects in the local kindergartens 
and in four elementary schools.  "We built an educational program that promotes 
environmental awareness, and we integrated the topic in all subjects studied from first 
through sixth grades," she notes with pride.  Ten other schools have expressed a 
willingness to join the program. "As awareness increases, so does the demand for green 
programs," says Cohen.