|
Syria: Direct Talks With Israel 'Premature'
PARIS, July 4--Syria's foreign minister said on Friday it was premature to talk of direct peace negotiations with Israel, a day after Israel had called for quickly starting
face-to-face discussions.
A third round of talks between the long-time foes started in Istanbul on Tuesday and ended on Thursday with an agreement to hold a fourth round of indirect negotiations in Turkey in late July, a
Turkish government source told Reuters on Thursday.
"It's premature to answer this question," said Walid al-Moualem when asked when direct talks could be held.
"The moment when we feel that we've
got the agreed common ground between us and the Israelis, which covers all elements of a peace agreement, we will agree on the location of these direct talks," he said in a question and answer session at the French
Institute for International Relations (IFRI).
Syria, demanding that Israel return all of the Golan Heights occupied in 1967, insists peace talks can only succeed with the full involvement of Washington -- unlikely to
materialize under President George W. Bush.
"The direct talks need an active American participation and sponsoring. To give guarantees we need an active European role maybe represented by France. We need also a role
for Russia, a role for the United Nations for these talks," he said.
Meanwhile, Turkish officials said Thursday night that another round of indirect Israel-Syria talks will take place at the end of July, adding that
during these talks, it will be decided whether or not the following round of negotiations will be direct.
A Turkish source added that this week's discussions were constructive and conducted in a good atmosphere. He also
said that both countries began to talk about core issues.
Also on Thursday, speaking at the Israeli Democracy Institute's Caesarea conference in Eilat, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said that the ongoing indirect
negotiations were serious, but that the transition would soon have to be made to direct discussions.
|
