The Syrian president confirms receiving the offer of “Golan for peace”, but says he can only think of it after the American President leaves office.

Syria responded the way it knows best: Buying time.

In an interview with the Qatari newspaper Al-Watan, Assad said the United States is the only country that can sponsor direct Syrian-Israel negotiations. But he said the Bush administration, which leaves office in January, “does not have the vision or will for the peace process.”

That will be a delicate dance that Syria will want to postpone as much as possible: Iran is keeping an eye, and it’s not happy.