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Syrian President Bashar Assad (AP)
Last update - 15:20 24/04/2008
Officials: U.S. vital to relaunching Syria talks
By Yoav Stern and Shahar Ilan, Haaretz Correspondents
Tags: Israel, Golan Heights, Syria 

Officials following contacts between Israel and Syria say significant U.S. involvement will probably be necessary for negotiations to move ahead, and that Syria is still demanding such involvement.

Both Israeli and foreign experts on Syria told Haaretz Wednesday that a change in the American position was not on the horizon, and that no details on the Israeli position had been included in Wednesday's Syrian media reports on Israel's willingness to withdraw from the Golan Heights.

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yrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem said Wednesday that if Israel were serious about making peace with Syria and withdrawing from the Golan, there was nothing to prevent the renewal of negotiations. But he added that Syria was not prepared for talks with Israel that would hurt the Palestinian negotiating track.

Speaking at a news conference in Tehran with his Iranian counterpart Manouchehr Mottaki, Moallem said the Syrian position was that Israel had to withdraw to the lines of June 4, 1967, not the international boundary. His statements were carried by the official Syrian news agency SANA.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to arrive in Damascus over the weekend for the opening of a Turkish-Syrian business forum, and will reportedly be meeting with Syrian President Bashar Assad to discuss the talks, among other issues. The Syrian media had reported that Erdogan phoned Assad and told him that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was willing to give up the Golan.

Acknowledging talks through a third party, Assad told a closed meeting of the ruling Baath party on Sunday that an Israeli commitment to withdraw fully from the Golan had to be a basis for talks, and any direct negotiations would be public.

In response to reports that Olmert had agreed to withdraw from the Golan, the head of the Knesset House Committee, MK David Tal, said he hopes to quickly pass a bill requiring an Israeli withdrawal from the Golan to be dependent on a national referendum.

Tal said an evacuation of the Golan would draw Hezbollah to the region. The chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Likud MK Yuval Steinitz, said "Olmert's willingness to come down from the Golan is an expression of unprecedented political and security anarchy." He said Israel could not protect itself and its water sources without the Golan.

MK Arieh Eldad (National Union-National Religious Party) called on opposition leader and Likud chairman Benjamin Netanyahu to immediately announce "that he would not be obligated to any suicidal concession by Olmert."

In contrast, MK Yossi Beilin (Meretz) called on Olmert "to take advantage of the opportunity and conduct quick and intensive negotiations with the Syrians." Such talks would "lead to a dramatic change in [Syria's] relationship with extremist elements in the area," Beilin said.

When asked about Wednesday's reports, Olmert's spokesman Mark Regev said: "I have nothing to add beyond what the prime minister said on Friday in his interviews with the Israeli press about his desire for peace with Syria."


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  • Report: Assad says Syria preparing for possible war with Israel
  • Report: Israel does not want to weaken Syrian President Assad
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      1.   Why is Olmert still in office???? 08:26  |  Michael 23/04/08
      2.   The Golan should remain Israeli. 08:33  |  Robert Bernier 23/04/08
      3.   thats right, keep on carving up the land to those 08:34  |  jj 23/04/08
      4.   Got maps of the peace park again Haaretz? 08:37  |  x-ray 23/04/08
      5.   SHAM PRESS INDEED 08:39  |  shtikipedia 23/04/08
      6.   trading territories for what 08:44  |  Boris 23/04/08
      7.   Golan 08:49  |  David 23/04/08
      8.   Yay! Peace with dictators! 09:00  |  Rick & TC 23/04/08
      9.   Whoa - full return means "full peace" 09:00  |  Joe Sittizen 23/04/08
      10.   Olmert gesture to Assad 09:07  |  thomas 23/04/08
      11.   Finally...a smart move by Israel !! 09:09  |  Arab 23/04/08
      12.   Well, I can also have a dream 09:15  |  Ayman 23/04/08
      13.   Israel ceding the Golan Heights? 09:20  |  Clickfool 23/04/08
      14.   US Arrests a Spy and Olmert decides to play ball 09:23  |  candida 23/04/08
      15.   We will give up Oldmerd first! 09:24  |  Wise Saba 23/04/08
      16.   peace? dont we have that allready?? 09:27  |  Sam 23/04/08
      17.   Olmert 09:28  |  Ralph 23/04/08
      18.   Golan now, whats next? 09:29  |  David 23/04/08
      19.   Predictable as Israel nears attacking Iran 09:37  |  Joe 23/04/08
      20.   Is Olmert out of his mind??? Again another bad leader making 09:42  |  aaa 23/04/08
      21.   syria support hamas and hezollah 09:42  |  tony 23/04/08
      22.   Olmert Mr. Flip Flop 09:44  |  Gili 23/04/08
      23.   What he said? 09:49  |  Vital 23/04/08
      24.   What`s this nonsense about "ceding" the Golan 09:57  |  Johnboy 23/04/08
      25.   What Olmert may have said yesterday... 09:57  |  Dutch Dirk 23/04/08
      26.   Olmert can promise the Brooklyn Bridge 10:05  |  Zev 23/04/08
      27.   Israel will cede entire Golan for peace? 10:16  |  Yohan 23/04/08
      28.   #9 -peace with Syria 10:16  |  Dik 23/04/08
      29.   Michael #1. To answer your question 10:31  |  Rozz 23/04/08
      30.   Any future peaceful accomodation with Syrian will have to enable 10:37  |  Ehud 23/04/08
      31.   Absolute madness 10:38  |  Sheikh Rattle & Roll 23/04/08
      32.   #7 David 10:41  |  Rozz 23/04/08
      33.   to # 1 10:43  |  Patrick Warner 23/04/08
      34.   GOLAN 10:47  |  siem 23/04/08
      35.   Olmert 10:47  |  H 23/04/08
      36.   "Report: Olmert tells Assad...." 10:52  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 23/04/08
      37.   olmerts tactics 10:59  |  abraham 23/04/08
      38.   The vile nature of the Israeli state, starkly revealed 10:59  |  Clickfool 23/04/08
      39.   ASSAD TO ISRAEL 11:00  |  Morris 23/04/08
      40.   ASSAD TO ISRAEL 11:00  |  Morris 23/04/08
      41.   Giving away everything beforehand and getting nothing in return 11:03  |  Shalom Freedman 23/04/08
      42.   Crystal ball, what is the truth? 11:08  |  H.H.M 23/04/08
      43.   Two thoughts 11:10  |  Jakob 23/04/08
      44.   OLMERT AT IT AGAIN. GIVING AWAY HIS COUNTRY 11:10  |  Dagma 23/04/08
      45.   Can you trust ANYTHING the Israelis say? 11:19  |  Clickfool 23/04/08
      46.   OLMERT IS AN ARAB SPY 11:19  |  charlie 23/04/08
      47.   What Olmert said... or didn`say... 11:21  |  Esther 23/04/08
      48.   Anyway... 11:23  |  Esther 23/04/08
      49.   #12 Ayman 11:27  |  Lev 23/04/08
      50.   I cannot agree more with #9 11:38  |  David G 23/04/08
      51.   LETTER to OLMERT, 11:42  |  Onlooker 23/04/08
      52.   now lets see if its really about the Golan Heights for Syria. 11:46  |  Marco 23/04/08
      53.   Now we`re talking 11:55  |  Natallie Durson 23/04/08
      54.   GOVT NEVER LEARNS 12:08  |  Silkey 23/04/08
      55.   Clickfool -Old/ New Imperialist ??? 12:19  |  Silkey 23/04/08
      56.   38 Cluckfool 12:26  |  FoolClick 23/04/08
      57.   What is happening in Israeli politics?! 12:31  |  Johnny 23/04/08
      58.   CFR, Vatican 12:34  |  Dave 23/04/08
      59.   No right! 12:42  |  David 23/04/08
      60.   Olmert is a disgrace. To give away more land for what? 12:45  |  Nicole 23/04/08
      61.   In return for what "peace" ? 12:48  |  Fortuna Benmayor 23/04/08
      62.   OLMERT GO HOME NOW!!! 12:49  |  Gra 23/04/08
      63.   What an idiot 12:54  |  SystemF 23/04/08
      64.   For Foolclick # 56 12:58  |  Clickfool 23/04/08
      65.   ANGRY LITTLE JOHNBOY 13:05  |  Brant 23/04/08
      66.   ANOTHER NON-SENSE FROM THE OLD MAN 13:09  |  indrajaya 23/04/08
      67.   Clickfool, how apt.... 13:12  |  Michael 23/04/08
      68.   the answer is never 13:17  |  harzion 23/04/08
      69.   Geat first step to peace in the region. 13:17  |  Dave 23/04/08
      70.   prince bandar to clickfool 13:22  |  brighton rock 23/04/08
      71.   "Sham Press"...............????!!!! 13:23  |  Robert