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French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
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Last update - 11:41 25/11/2009
Report: Netanyahu ready to discuss Golan pullout
By Avi Issacharoff and Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondents, and Haaretz Service
Tags: Benjamin Netanyahu 

French President Nicolas Sarkozy is expected to deliver a message from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Syrian President Bashar Assad that expresses Israel's willingness to withdraw from the Golan Heights as part of a peace deal between the two countries, Arabic-language satellite TV channel Al Arabiya reported on Thursday.

Israel's readiness to engage in talks with its neighbor to the north is genuine, the Al Arabiya report cited Netanyahu's missive as saying, adding that Netanyahu has already agreed to a Golan withdrawal in principle, and that now was the time to discuss the details.

The Prime Minister's bureau on Thursday denied the report. However, a senior political source in Jerusalem on Thursday said that Netanyahu is considering French mediation for talks with Syria because of Sarkozy's close ties to both him and Assad.
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Other sources said Thursday that both Israeli and U.S. officials would be prefer Netanyahu focus on the Palestinian track.

On Wednesday, Netanyahu said that Israel would be prepared to hold immediate peace negotiations with Syria, as long as the talks were held without preconditions.

Netanyahu made the remarks in response to a question from Sarkozy, with whom he met for more than an hour and a half in Paris on Wednesday. Their talks focused on reviving Middle East peace efforts and Iran's contentious nuclear program.

After the meeting, the two shook hands but did not speak to reporters.

In a joint statement, Netanyahu and Sarkozy said they agreed to employ all efforts toward immediately reviving the peace process. No agreement was reached on the issue of freezing construction in West Bank settlements, however, a demand which has topped the agenda for Palestinians and the United States.

Their statement also said they discussed international efforts to stop Iran's nuclear program in light of latest evolutions, referring to Iran's apparent rejection of an international proposal to send Iranian uranium abroad for enrichment.

Their meeting took place just days after Netanyahu met with U.S. President Barack Obama in Washington for low-profile talks.

Netanyahu's declaration regarding Syria came hours after Assad said he would not set any preconditions for peace negotiations with Israel.

"Resistance is the essence of our policy in the past and in future. We have no conditions to achieve peace but rather rights and we will not abandon them," Assad said in a speech opening the 5th Conference of the Arab Parties titled "The Independent Arab Decision."

Assad will also be in Paris later this week for talks with Sarkozy.

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      1.   two toothless barking dogs 21:48  |  farrokh 11/11/09
      2.   France is more of a friend now then America! 21:53  |  ben 11/11/09
      3.   A suggested solution for Pals who want to vote in Israel 21:55  |  Democratus 11/11/09
      4.   Why doesn`t PM Netanyahu just wait in Paris for 48 hrs? 22:09  |  idf_sergeant 11/11/09
      5.   Bibi will talk to anyone as long as it doesn`t lead anywhere 22:11  |  Michael 11/11/09
      6.   Israel will cry to the wall 22:30  |  H 11/11/09
      7.   No Conditions 22:46  |  Barak 11/11/09
      8.   Kouchner is right 22:49  |  Peter 11/11/09
      9.   Netanyahu`s `charm offensive` (mild panic) 23:11  |  alan 11/11/09
      10.   it`s funny... 23:15  |  Welshman 11/11/09
      11.   The repetitive use of weasel-words 23:18  |  Johnboy 11/11/09
      12.   Bibi on Syria... 23:24  |  Libertad 11/11/09
      13.   "Israel ready for Syria talks without preconditions" 23:32  |  Esther 11/11/09
      14.   Pre conditions 00:19  |  Sam 12/11/09
      15.   peace process? o, this is wonderful news 00:31  |  Merry Pason 12/11/09
      16.   Bibi talks, talks talks, but does nothing 02:01  |  Tom Lobo Meyer 12/11/09
      17.   Is Assad ready for direct talks? Obviously not! 02:40  |  Ruti 12/11/09
      18.   How many times have we heard this? 03:33  |  One 12/11/09
      19.   talks and more talks 03:58  |  adam 12/11/09
      20.   Talk about what? 04:08  |  John 12/11/09
      21.   same old song 06:07  |  thomas 12/11/09
      22.   KOUCHNER saw the light 07:07  |  VIPER 12/11/09
      23.   israel will never know peace as long as people like netanyahu 07:35  |  eric 12/11/09
      24.   talk yes, no withdrawal 08:58  |  Jochai Rubinstein 12/11/09
      25.   Talks are always a good thing with the exception..... 09:37  |  Swiss (Dino) 12/11/09
      26.   just talk to each other will ya... 09:39  |  syrian druze 12/11/09
      27.   The repetitive use of weasel-words used by Assad: 09:43  |  Eve 12/11/09
      28.   Bibi prepared to discuss ANYTHING... 09:50  |  Esther 12/11/09
      29.   What will Syria demand for allowing Israel to withdraw from Golan 09:56  |  Linda Straw 12/11/09
      30.   You can tell Bibi`s lying. His lips are moving. 10:00  |  Michael 12/11/09
      31.   #24, Eve, quoting Assad 10:05  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 12/11/09
      32.   Netanyahu will never touch settlements. Forget peace in his time 10:12  |  S 12/11/09
      33.   Israel and Syria : don` t burn the Reichstag 10:32  |  Patrice 12/11/09
      34.   Dino, how many times you use the word "world"? 10:33  |  Israeli citizen 12/11/09
      35.   Patrice of Strasbourg`s orderly solutions 11:21  |  sh 12/11/09
      36.   #34, Israeli citizen 11:36  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 12/11/09
      37.   Ah, Now We`re Off On Syria 11:54  |  MB 12/11/09
      38.   wait 12:02  |  guy 12/11/09
      39.   The question is .. 12:16  |  Akram Zekaria 12/11/09
      40.   eric, how old are you? 12? 13:16  |  Petra 12/11/09
      41.   #11 Johnboy refuses to acknowledge 13:34  |  *BEN JABO 12/11/09
      42.   Oh dear, Minister Peled ruins Bibi`s little farce! LOL 13:48  |  Michael 12/11/09
      43.   #41 Simply untrue, BEN JABO 14:57  |  Johnboy 12/11/09
      44.   # 8 peter 15:01  |  Yaron 12/11/09
      45.   Why There Can`t be Peace 15:12  |  Solomon 12/11/09
      46.   Same Platitudes with No Content 15:22  |  Yaakov Sullivan 12/11/09
      47.   The Zionist Francophobes Need To Reconsider 15:24  |  Yaakov Sullivan 12/11/09
      48.   NEVER HAPPEN!!! 15:41  |  Boyd 12/11/09
      49.   Conditions For Return of the Golan 15:50  |  Ron 12/11/09
      50.   Syria has been Key: James Baker knew It 16:02  |  Stephen 12/11/09
      51.   We all are waiting for face to face meeting 16:19  |  Abuya 12/11/09
      52.   Ron and His List of Demands #50 16:41  |  Yaakov Sullivan 12/11/09
      53.   If settlers want to stay, they should be Syrian 17:27  |  Basil 12/11/09
      54.   # 40 - Petra --Arab had 61 years to make Peace 17:44  |  Stephen 12/11/09
      55.   # 40 petra, i`m old enough to recognize your skewed views 17:52  |  eric 12/11/09
      56.   eric`s mindless propaganda 19:09  |  yona 12/11/09
      57.   If you believe Netanyahu will pull out of the Golan 21:35  |  Chris Linthwaite 12/11/09
      58.   To 53 21:37  |  Ron 12/11/09
      59.   #59 Ron they are preconditions 22:40  |  Chris Linthwaite 12/11/09
      60.   the bibi show 06:17  |  sam 13/11/09
      61.   is this new headline for real? 11:02  |  eric 13/11/09
      62.   #57 yona, what i said was mindless "repetition" of propaganda 07:15  |  eric 14/11/09
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