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Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem
Last update - 07:33 09/04/2009
Syria says willing to renew peace talks with Israel
By The Associated Press
Tags: Israel News, Basher Assad 

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem said Wednesday his country was willing to resume indirect peace talks with Israel's new government. But he said it would only do so if the talks focused on an Israeli withdrawal from the entire Golan Heights to lines that preceded the 1967 Six Day War.

Moallem made the statements during a news conference with Italy's foreign minister. Indirect talks through Turkish mediation broke off after Israel's offensive against Hamas in Gaza started in December.

The extent of withdrawal is a major issue. Israel has not confirmed it would pull back to the pre-war lines, which Syria insists on.
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Israel, Moallem said, must also stick by what he said were earlier commitments that the discussions would not affect Israeli-Palestinian peace talks and that Israel would refrain from attacking Gaza or Lebanon, two places where anti-Israel militants operate, while the talks were under way.

Earlier this week, Syria's President Bashar Assad vowed that "the day in which we will be liberated [on the Golan] is at hand - by peace or war."

Assad told the Qatari newspaper A-Sharq in an interview published on Thursday: "This enemy does not want peace. What is the alternative? The parallel route to the peace process is resistance. The Israeli will not come by his own will, so there is no alternative but for him to come from fear."

Last month, Assad told the Italian newspaper La Repubblica that Ehud Olmert agreed to withdraw from all of the Golan Heights during indirect peace talks with Damascus.

Assad said Israel and Syria were within "touching distance" of clinching a peace agreement.

Meanwhile, in his first public statements since assuming his post this week, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman was cool to continued peace talks with Damascus.

"There is no cabinet resolution regarding negotiations with Syria, and we have already said that we will not agree to withdraw from the Golan Heights," Lieberman said. "Peace will only be in exchange for peace."

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      1.   Good 16:43  |  Me 08/04/09
      2.   NEVER! Peace For Peace Only! 16:49  |  Josh 08/04/09
      3.   Haaretz:"Syria willing to negotiate" 17:19  |  Christopher 08/04/09
      4.   Return the Golan to its` rightful owner, Syria. 17:23  |  Lou Medel 08/04/09
      5.   Talking peace with Syria. 17:28  |  Stephen. 08/04/09
      6.   Peace Deal 17:35  |  Fish 08/04/09
      7.   Syria says willing to renew peace talks with Israel 17:50  |  Joshua 08/04/09
      8.   Again Syria plays the withdrawl from Golan card 17:57  |  Shepherd 08/04/09
      9.   Pray for peace 18:29  |  Richard 08/04/09
      10.   TO HAARETZ 18:42  |  DANNY 08/04/09
      11.   1967 Reflect Syrian Military Occupation 18:44  |  guy 08/04/09
      12.   Shrewd tactical move by Assad 18:47  |  Muslim 08/04/09
      13.   Syria Must Forget Golan if they truly desire peace 19:12  |  Baruch Gold 08/04/09
      14.   Jas 19:34  |  Barry 08/04/09
      15.   Simple choice 19:49  |  RfaelMoshe 08/04/09
      16.   Golan 19:51  |  David 08/04/09
      17.   Mr al-Moallem `"The teacher" 21:08  |  Middle East Guru 08/04/09
      18.   Any Syr-Isr deal must be based on Hatay model not Sinai model 21:40  |  G Marcus 08/04/09
      19.   so what`s new? 21:44  |  Observer 08/04/09
      20.   Reality Check 21:47  |  giles k 08/04/09
      21.   Peace we have already 22:36  |  Gee 08/04/09
      22.   Withdrawal 23:07  |  christoph 08/04/09
      23.   Answer to #4 - Lou Mendel 23:14  |  Col [Res] Cohen 08/04/09
      24.   Peace for peace 23:16  |  Ofir 08/04/09
      25.   "Peace" with Syria is worthless - ask Lebanon 23:27  |  Dr. L. Brnd 08/04/09
      26.   Do you wanna play? 23:37  |  BazMan 08/04/09
      27.   Syrian ouvertures 23:40  |  Israel friend 08/04/09
      28.   #6 FISH 23:59  |  Courcey 08/04/09
      29.   Give something for nothing. 00:07  |  mario 09/04/09
      30.   #6 FISH 00:07  |  Courcey 09/04/09
      31.   Lou Medel and the rest of you 00:21  |  Arnold 09/04/09
      32.   #13 Baruch Gold 00:25  |  Courcey 09/04/09
      33.   What does Syria gain from peace with Israel? 00:29  |  Natallie Durson 09/04/09
      34.   Israel exposed as THE road-block to peace 00:30  |  binny 09/04/09
      35.   # 24 ofir 00:48  |  Axel 09/04/09
      36.   Peace for Peace 01:06  |  Aharon ben Yitzhak 09/04/09
      37.   BRAVO LIEBERMAN!! 01:08  |  Aharon ben Yitzhak 09/04/09
      38.   Syria Pays The Price 01:27  |  Bill Foonman 09/04/09
      39.   Courcey #32 02:01  |  Gee 09/04/09
      40.   #11 Watch out, guy! 03:29  |  Johnboy 09/04/09
      41.   To Johnboy re International Border 04:40  |  guy 09/04/09
      42.   To Johnboy re International Border - Pt 2 04:45  |  guy 09/04/09
      43.   The "Do Something" Movement 05:29  |  leo 09/04/09
      44.   golan 06:55  |  Yaacob 09/04/09
      45.   More Double Speak 07:00  |  Angela 09/04/09
      46.   #41 Thanks, guy. 07:26  |  Johnboy 09/04/09
      47.   Syria Golan Heights 08:06  |  David Segal 09/04/09
      48.   Open New Front 08:22  |  Dionysis 09/04/09
      49.   The Golan ? The security insurance of Israel. 08:32  |  Jean Van Daem 09/04/09
      50.   exactly Natallie Durson 08:51  |  Daniela 09/04/09
      51.   Why should Israel withdraw from ANNEXED Golan? 10:27  |  Andy 09/04/09
      52.   re 42, The british had no right to landlock Syria 10:36  |  Sayid 09/04/09
      53.   Daniela - Syria can wait 13:56  |  Natallie Durson 09/04/09
      54.   Dear Syrians 16:03  |  Hastaroth 09/04/09
      55.   johnboy there is only one border 16:54  |  harzion 09/04/09
      56.   johnboy ever heard of giora eiland 16:56  |  harzion 09/04/09
      57.   Guy #11 Your Interpretation Means UN Partition Borders too. 17:12  |  Monitor 09/04/09
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