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Last update - 14:36 22/07/2009
Israeli officials: Turkey PM too extreme to moderate Syria talks
By Haaretz Service and News Agencies
Tags: Peace Process, Turkey 

Turkey is ready to resume its role as mediator in suspended indirect peace talks between Israel and Syria, Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday, before leaving for a one-day visit to Syria.

Senior Israeli officials responded to the initiative by telling Israel Radio that while the negotiations should indeed be held, they should not be handled by Erdogan.

The officials pointed out that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called more than once to renew the negotiations without preconditions, anywhere in the region, and has made clear that all options with this regard were on the table.
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Benny Begin, a Netanyahu confidant, suggested Turkey's fierce criticism the offensive had damaged Ankara's role as a neutral negotiator and said any negotiations for a peace agreement would have to be conducted directly between Syria and Israel without a negotiator.

"If this is what they want and how they continue it will be hard to view them as a means for mediating or for conveying messages between us and Syria," Begin, minister without portfolio, told Israel Radio.

"The Syrians are posing preconditions, i.e. saying what the outcome should be from the outset, which of course is unreasonable."

Israel's previous centrist govermment held the last round of talks with Syria last year, under mediation of Turkey, with which has good relations.

Syria froze the contacts to protest Operation Cast Lead, and the negotiations have been frozen ever since.

"We feel a responsibility ... Requests to resume the process have started to come. We are working on the issue," Erdogan told reporters before leaving for Aleppo to meet Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Erdogan, who last week met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ankara, was traveling with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.

Syria seeks the return of the Golan Heights, captured by Israel in the 1967 Six Day War. Israel wants a peace deal including diplomatic recognition by Syria and other political concessions.

But Israel has said Syria does not want a peace deal and has demanded Damascus stop insisting on the return of the Golan as a precondition for talks. Assad in May played down prospects of resuming talks, saying Syria did not "have a partner."

Syria and Turkey: Israel needs 'real political will'

After the talks between Assad and Erdogan on Wednesday, Syria's state-run news agency SANA said the two leaders discussed the need to achieve a just a comprehensive peace in the Middle East which requires the presence of a "real Israeli political will".

Assad said earlier this month that there is no real partner in Israel to make peace, stressing that a halt to settlements in the West Bank is
essential to restart talks.

Syria has said it is willing to resume the Turkish-mediated talks if they
focus on a complete Israeli withdrawal from the Golan. But Netanyahu has said he is not willing to cede the territory Syria wants.

A state-run newspaper reaffirmed in an editorial that Syria is keen to restore all the Golan Heights and would not agree to start negotiations from scratch.

"It's not in the interest of peace to waste time or efforts or to return to point zero under the pretext of preconditions," said the government's Al-Thawra newspaper.

"Moving toward negotiations means an endorsement of a full withdrawal from the occupied land," it added.

Assad said in a newspaper interview in March that the Turkish-mediated talks failed because Israel would not make a clear commitment to return all of the Golan up to the eastern shore of Lake Kinneret.

Assad said Israel wanted to keep some disputed land around the Galilee, its main water source.

Israel, for its part, demands that Syria end its support for the Lebanese
militant group Hezbollah and the Palestinian Hamas.

Direct talks between Israel and Syria under U.S. auspices also failed in 2000 over the extent of an Israeli withdrawal from the Golan.

Last month, President Barack Obama's special Mideast peace envoy, George
Mitchell, became the highest-level U.S. administration official to visit
Damascus since 2005. He acknowledged Syria's clout, declaring Damascus has a key role to play in forging Mideast peace.

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      1.   Erdogan Hates Israel 14:52  |  Brazilian Jew 22/07/09
      2.   Erdogan is not impartial 15:02  |  IG 22/07/09
      3.   I agree with Brazilian Jew 16:32  |  charro 22/07/09
      4.   Turkey and 2 items force reality check 16:59  |  Arie 22/07/09
      5.   Mediation, yes. Erdogan noooooo !!!! 17:19  |  Nora Tel Aviv 22/07/09
      6.   Arie, did you secure new housing yet? 18:00  |  BBSNews 22/07/09
      7.   Definitely correct, Turkish PM has a dangerous attitude 18:07  |  mehmet 22/07/09
      8.   Let Turkey return Hatay province to Syria first! 18:11  |  Jacob 22/07/09
      9.   one other thing: Israel did comit war crimes 18:16  |  mehmet 22/07/09
      10.   "stolen Golan Heights" 18:24  |  ol` Case 22/07/09
      11.   bbskkk:sorry to disappoint but I`ll be staying 18:37  |  Arie 22/07/09
      12.   Today`s headlines. 18:46  |  Peter 22/07/09
      13.   Painting themselves - and their nation - 18:49  |  Mark Lincoln 22/07/09
      14.   Erdigan has made antisemitic remarks 18:50  |  Elly 22/07/09
      15.   Israel Is No Partner For Peace 19:03  |  Neil 22/07/09
      16.   Israel is fast loosong the few allies it has left 19:32  |  Petteri 22/07/09
      17.   Turkey Needs MEDIATORS 19:37  |  Brazilian Jew 22/07/09
      18.   All Israel`s former friends are now "extremists" 19:53  |  John 22/07/09
      19.   Aleksandria province must be returnd to Syria 20:36  |  Abu Yusuf 22/07/09
      20.   Turkey Needs Israel 20:42  |  Jozef 22/07/09
      21.   The Golan ? The security insurance of Israel. 20:48  |  B. Gold 22/07/09
      22.   Israeli officials: Turkish PM too extreme to moderate Syria talks 20:50  |  flora 22/07/09
      23.   answer to # 17 20:53  |  flora 22/07/09
      24.   Israel will be foolish to deal with this clown 20:57  |  Victor 22/07/09
      25.   There isd hardly any possible peace broker left anyhow 21:08  |  Kris Lazar 22/07/09
      26.   Diplomacy? 21:52  |  robk 22/07/09
      27.   Realpolitics have nothing to do with friendship. 22:37  |  NoraTel Aviv 22/07/09
      28.   Turkey has lost any chance of getting into EU thanks to Erdogan 22:43  |  Absolute Sweden 22/07/09
      29.   erdogan is not sincere 22:44  |  emine 22/07/09
      30.   Erdogans Turkey 23:41  |  ari 22/07/09
      31.   Petteri ,and who`s Finland`s ally ? Don`t count on us 23:58  |  Absolute Sweden 22/07/09
      32.   #6BBS news---Arie is going to make a fine Syrian???. 23:58  |  andrew 22/07/09
      33.   Israel foolish to insult Turkey 00:04  |  Les Lyshkov 23/07/09
      34.   Gosh! Is there anyone Israel HASN`T insulted lately? 01:31  |  Johnboy 23/07/09
      35.   Interesting rumour coming out of today`s State Dept briefing 02:57  |  Johnboy 23/07/09
      36.   Israel is not in a contest of popularity 03:56  |  charro 23/07/09
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