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Israel, Syria confirm indirect peace talks

JERUSALEM: Israel and Syria on Wednesday said they are holding indirect peace talks through Turkish mediators — the first official confirmation of contacts between the long-time enemies. In statements issued minutes apart, the two governments said they “have declared their intent to conduct these talks in good faith and with an open mind,” with a goal of reaching “a comprehensive peace.”

Both nations thanked Turkey for its help, and Turkey issued its own confirmation. There have been media reports and broad hints from Israeli officials in recent months of new Israeli-Syrian contacts through Turkey, and Turkey’s Foreign Minister said earlier this month that his country was trying to bring the sides together. But this was the first official confirmation that contacts have actually resumed.

An Israeli official said Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s Chief of Staff and Diplomatic Adviser have been in Turkey since Monday. “In parallel, their Syrian counterparts are in Turkey as well,” said the official. He declined to discuss the substance of the talks. Turkish TV said the Israeli and Syrian delegations were in Istanbul but not meeting directly. Instead, it said Turkish mediators were shuttling between them.

Peace with Syria would require Israel to withdraw from the Golan Heights, a strategic plateau it captured in the 1967 war and later annexed. Today, the heights are home to 18,000 Israelis and roughly the same number of Druse Arabs, who regard themselves as Syrians. “Israel will not support such a deluded and irresponsible move, which would hand over such a vital Israeli strategic asset,” said the Golan Residents Council. Israelis generally regard the Golan as an important buffer against Syrian attack.

With its wineries and small inns, the Golan is also a popular destination for Israeli tourists.

Peace talks with Syria also could divert attention from newly re-launched Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, which aim to reach an agreement by the end of the year. However, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas welcomed news of the Israel-Syria contacts. “We hope that the two sides will reach peace,” he said. Israel, meanwhile, has demanded that Syria — which offers refuge to Hamas and Islamic Jihad and supports the Lebanese group Hizbollah — distance itself from them, and from its Iranian ally, as a condition for talks. That condition appears to have been dropped.

Last September, Israeli carried out an attack on Syria, targeting an installation that the U.S. said was an unfinished nuclear reactor built by North Korea. — AP

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