I ANALYSIS I Foot Specialist. Syria Threat Receding? Israeli Experts Disagree LOUIS RAPOPORT Israel Correspondent D Announcing The Appointment Of Ray Hitdeman To Manager Of Sherman's NewApplegate Store. We're proud to have Ray as part of the growing Sherman's family. So if you're looking for a great fit and great savings, meet Ray and get in on our pre-holiday specials on brands such as Cole Haan, Johnston & Murphy, Rockport, Bally and Ferragamo. Sherman Shoes PUT YOUR FEET IN GOOD HANDS. Applegate Square, Northwestern Highway in Southfield Phone: 356-SHOE Mon. - Sat. 10 to 8 Sunday 12 to 5 E• jewelry < ■ accessories o ■ apparel o • furniture a • bridal registry 0 ■ wish list ■ executive gifts } PIERCE STREET PORTRAITS Fidelity Bank Building 24901 Northwestern Hwy. Southfield 357-1056 20 FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22, 1989 FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHS OF CHILDREN . 217 Pierce Street, Birmingham FOR APPOINTMENT CALL 646-6951 espite a flurry of reports that Syria is beginning to moderate its stand as Israel's most intransigent enemy, there have been no direct overtures from Damascus and no sizeable military cutbacks, according to informed Israeli govern- ment sources. In fact, Syrian troop movements in southern Lebanon recently elicited a sharp warning from Defense Minister Yitzhak Rabin. Syria expert Dr. Yossi Olmert is skeptical of American reports that the Syrians are ready to join the Middle East peace process. "Syria is still the biggest threat to Israel," Olmert says. "Whenever [former secretary of State] Cyrus Vance or Jimmy Carter comes back from talks with President Assad in Damascus, they declare that there has been a softening of Syria's position. We have yet to see it." Olmert does believe the reports that the USSR is in arms it provides to Damascus annually, "but I see no signs of Syrian military cutbacks." But according to an un published research paper from the Israel International Institute in Jerusalem, Syria has reduced its arms spending over the last three- to-four years. The paper's main conclusion, according to news reports, is that Israel could reduce its own defense spending substan- tially and thus encourage three of its neighbors — Syria, Egypt and Jordan — to do the same. The four countries share at least one thing in common — they are all in severe economic straits. So, too, is the Soviet Union. And now, the Soviets are publicly telling their Syrian client, "Give up the dream of military parity with Israel." In the last decade, the Soviets supplied the Syrians with some $20 billion worth of arms, including sophisticated MiG fighter- bombers and missiles. Now, as a result of the Soviet- American treaty, Moscow is barred from supplying its clients with intermediate- range ballistic missiles. Dr. Yossef Olmert: Skeptical of reports. This has not stopped Damascus from seeking such weaponry elsewhere. China is reportedly selling Syria about 150 M-9 missiles with a range of 360 miles, which could reach all of Israel. Although there is a gen- eral consensus among Israeli leaders that Syria remains the main threat to Israel, there is a sharp divergence of opinion over whether the defense budget can be cut if Syria also reduces arms spending. Bank of Israel Governor Michael Bruno, a leading economist who is close to Finance Minister Shimon Peres and the dovish wing of Labor, recently called for a slash in the defense budget, based on the unconfirmed reports of Syrian cutbacks. Otherwise, he said, higher inflation may result. But Bruno and the Labor left, led by Peres' Deputy Finance Minister Yossi Beilin, have not been able to budge either the Likud leaders or the conservative Laborites led by Rabin, who is adamently opposed to any budget cuts in his ministry. The "overtures" from Damascus over the last few weeks include a variety of reports. Cyrus Vance, stopping in Israel after a visit to Syria, said that Assad's attitude toward talks with Israel on the question of the Golan Heights has definitely softened. An Egyptian magazine reported that Syria might accept Soviet- e and American-sponsored talks with Israel. And Argentina's President Carlos Menem, who is of Syrian origin, has offered to