A senior Military Intelligence officer said Monday that he believes recent peace overtures emanating from Syrian President Bashar Assad are serious.

"Syria is genuinely interested in negotiations," Brigadier General Yossi Baidetz, head of the Military Intelligence research division, told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.

"The Syrian regime believes that dialog with Israel will only better its position and improve its standing," Baidatz said.

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Last week, however, Mossad director Meir Dagan expressed the opposite opinion, saying that Syria is not prepared to return to the negotiating table with Israel despite declarations by Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem.

"I don't truly see Syria offering to renew negotiations with Israel," Dagan said.

"They have their public comments, but have made no attempt to ask the United Sates and Europe to try to advance the political process."

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Monday that he would like to renew peace talks with Syria, but insisted that Damascus first end its support for Hamas, Hezbollah
and other militant groups.

"I hope that we will be able to arrive at some point at a dialogue with Syria if Syria upholds the most basic commitment: the cessation of violence, the same commitment we demand of anyone we talk to," Olmert said at a meeting of lawmakers from his Kadima party.

The prime minister told the cabinet last week that now is not the time to embark on negotiations with Damascus, given that U.S. President George W. Bush is demanding Assad "stop instigating war."

"We need to ask ourselves why, precisely at this moment, Assad is asking to renew negotiations with us," Olmert said. "The considerations that motivate Assad are not necessarily the considerations that motivate us."

But Defense Minister Amir Peretz said in response that Israel should hold an "urgent debate" to weigh Syria's recent diplomatic overture to consider entering into negotiations.

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