Israel and Syria, which have recently renewed indirect talks with Turkish mediation, are not far away from direct peace talks, local media The Jerusalem Post reported Thursday, citing Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
Olmert said in an interview with French newspaper Le Figaro that direct peace talks could be opened once Israel and Syria agree on a precise agenda and issues to discuss, the report said.
"We aren't far away," the prime minister said. "If the two parties are serious, we should soon sit down at a table for talks."
Both Olmert and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad are expected in Paris at a summit of European and Mediterranean countries on July 13 and there has been speculation that they may meet on the sidelines.
When asked about a potential meeting with al-Assad in Paris, Olmert sidestepped the question, saying that French President Nicolas Sarkozy "knows better than me what will happen in Paris."
Better relations with Syria would alter the whole dynamic of the Middle East, the prime minister added.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan said Tuesday that Israel and Syria would hold a new round of indirect peace talks in July after two earlier rounds of indirect talks ended successfully.
Israel and Syria on Monday concluded a second round of indirectpeace talks mediated by Turkey and agreed to continue meeting.
Olmert's negotiation representatives, Yoram Turbovich and Shalom Turgeman, reported "a positive and constructive atmosphere"during the two-day talks in Turkey at an undisclosed location.
The two notified Olmert that "there had been a reiteration of the common will to continue with the talks. Regular meetings were agreed upon, and two more dates were determined for meetings during the next few weeks."
Last month, Israel and Syria simultaneously announced that theybegan dialogue under Turkey's auspices with a goal of reaching a comprehensive peace, the first confirmation of diplomatic contactsbetween the two neighbors in eight years.
Peace negotiations between Israel and Syria broke off in 2000, when then Israeli Prime Minister and now Defense Minister Ehud Barak refused Syria's request to fully withdraw from the Golan Heights, a strategic plateau Israel seized in 1967 and annexed in 1981.
Source:Xinhua
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