Middle East

Israel and Syria in Turkey for talks

Article published on the 2008-07-29 Latest update 2008-07-29 14:08 TU

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert (L), Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (R) in Paris.
(Photo : Reuters/Vincent Kessler)

Israel and Syria began a fourth round of peace talks in Turkey Tuesday. The indirect negotiations are shrouded in secrecy, but progress has been hinted at, despite signs that Damascus continues to have links with Hezbollah. The peace negotiations began again in May after an eight-year freeze, helped along by Turkey, which acted as a mediator between the two countries that have officially been at war for decades.

In the indirect talks, Israeli and Syrian negotiators don’t actually see each other; they speak to Turkish mediators who shuttle information back and forth.

An Israeli official told the AFP news agency that the desire for peace is serious on both sides, and that the talks will soon evolve into bilateral negotiations.

Syrian President Bashar al Assad said that he would normalise relations with Israel if the Turkish-sponsored talks prove fruitful. He specified, however, that no deal would be possible without an Israeli withdrawal from the Golan Heights.

Israel will have a hard time agreeing to give up this territory, which it invaded in 1967 and annexed in 1981 (a move that has not been recognised internationally).

Yaacov Bar-Siman-Tov, political scientist at Hebrew University, said that Israelis feel it belongs to them.

"We have more years on the Golan heights than the Syrian were in the Golan heights," he told RFI. "And because of that affiliation, it would require a real belief in Syria to make the concession."

Israel remains wary of Syria’s connections with the Lebanese Shia Muslim militant group Hezbollah. Defence minister Ehud Barak accused Syria of continuing to arm the group.