Israel not to negotiate with Syria soon - Olmert

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Thursday that Israel would not have talks with Syria in the near future, rejecting the recommendations in a report issued by the Iraq Study Group (ISG) regarding Syria, local daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported.

"Syria's supports to Hamas and its efforts to destabilize Lebanon minimized the chance of having negotiations with the Syrians at any time soon," Olmert was quoted as saying at the Editors' Conference in Tel Aviv.

The premier told the conference that "nobody wants to negotiate more than we do," but conditions were not ripe to reopen talks with Syria yet.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has called in recent months for a new round of talks with Israel, but Olmert has rejected them out of hand.

Another newspaper Ha'aretz also quoted Olmert as saying that "the question of what Israel can offer Syria has been raised before. The question is what can we get from the Syrians if enter negotiations."

Talking on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Olmert said that Israel wants "with all our might" to restart peace talks with the Palestinians.

Despite occasional rocket attacks by Gaza militants at Israel, "we will continue to show restraint," he added.

The prime minister also welcomed a peace initiative put forward by Saudi Arabia, saying it contains "interesting elements that should not be ignored."

Addressing the controversy over Iran's nuclear ambitions, Olmert reiterated Israel's position that Israel will not tolerate a nuclear Iran, but will not take unilateral action.

He also reiterated his support for the U.S. war in Iraq.

Source: Xinhua