Israel tells Syria willing to return Golan: paper

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

Israel tells Syria willing to return Golan: paper

By Ari Rabinovitch
Reuters
Friday, June 8, 2007; 5:16 AM

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - An Israeli newspaper said on Friday that
Israel has told Syria it is prepared to withdraw from the Golan
Heights in return for lasting peace, adding to growing signals
that Israel is looking to resume negotiations.

Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper said Prime Minister Ehud Olmert had
sent messages through foreign envoys to Syrian President Bashar
al-Assad that Israel is ready to "fulfill its part" in a peace deal,
even if it means giving up the strategic Golan Heights, captured
in the Six Day War of June 1967.

Spokesmen for Olmert and the Foreign Ministry declined comment
on the report although a Foreign Ministry spokesman noted Israel
had long been willing to give Syria the Golan area, which
commands the approaches to Damascus, in return for peace.

The Yedioth report, quoting an unidentified senior diplomat who
it said was involved in the contacts with Syria, said Olmert
contacted Assad with the help of German and Turkish leaders
but has yet to hear back from the Syrian president.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/08/AR2007060800483.html

[bemildred]

1. Report: Syria says it received no offer for peace talks from Israel

A senior diplomat in Syria's London Embassy said Damascus had not received any invitation to start negotiations for peace with Israel, either from the United States or from any other party, Israel Radio on Friday quoted the Qatari newspaper Al Sharq as saying.

The report comes a day after another Syrian official said Damascus is interested in renewing the peace process with Israel, following similar remarks by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Wednesday.

According to the reports, the Syrian diplomat said Friday that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's government had suffered a route during the Second Lebanon War, and is thus incapable of serving as a real partner for peace with Syria.

Nevertheless, he stated that Damascus is always willing to renew the peace process.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/868726.html

[Eugene]

2. Israel says using secret channels to assess Syria

Source: Reuters

Israel says using secret channels to assess Syria
09 Jun 2007 10:20:07 GMT
Source: Reuters

JERUSALEM, June 9 (Reuters) - Israel is using secret channels
to assess whether Syria is ready to enter peace talks with the
Jewish state, but Damascus has yet to respond, Deputy Israeli
Prime Minister Shaul Mofaz said on Saturday. "We have turned
to Syria with secret channels. It's been done... At this stage,
there is no Syrian reaction," Mofaz told Israel Radio.

Mofaz did not say which channels were being used to send
messages to Syria and did not say what they contained. He
said the secret channels were one way "to test (Syria's)
intentions".

Olmert had made clear in messages to Syria that he was
willing to return the Golan Heights, captured by Israel
40 years ago this week, if Damascus cut ties with Iran,
Hezbollah and Palestinian militant groups, Israeli officials
said on Friday on condition of anonymity.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L12443555.htm