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Infrastructure Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer (Archives) Last update - 00:33 30/03/2008 Barak: Renewed talks with Syria are a central policy goal By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent, and News Agencies Tags: Benjamin Ben-Eliezer  Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Friday that renewed peace negotiations with Syria are a primary objective of Israel's foreign policy. "Israel sees launching negotiations with Syria and removing it from the circle of extremism as a central objective of its policy," the defense minister told diplomats in Tel Aviv. Barak said Israel is keeping a watchful on developments along its northern border, including "the strengthening of Hezbollah with Syrian backing as well as the whispers from the other side of the Syrian border. Advertisement "Israel is the strongest country in the region, which allows it to both stand guard and try to reach agreements," he added. Barak's comments came as Infrastructure Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer said Friday that Israel has been making efforts to bring Syria back to the negotiating table. Ben-Eliezer spoke just days after Prime Minister Ehud Olmert hinted that Israel might be holding - or planning to hold secret talks with Syria. "All efforts are being made to bring Syria to the negotiating table in order to sign a peace treaty," Ben-Eliezer told Israel Radio. "We know exactly what the price would be," he added - namely, Israel's return of the Golan Heights, a strategic plateau captured from Syria in the 1967 Six Day War. He would not disclose what results there have been, if any, from Israel's efforts to resume dialogue with the Syrians. Israel-Syria peace talks - a centerpiece of then-prime minister Ehud Barak's political agenda - broke down in 2000 with Syria rejecting Israel's offer to withdraw from the Golan Heights, and insisting that Israel pull back to the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee. Ben-Eliezer told Israel Radio that Barak, now defense minister, was a partner to the current efforts to renew talks with Damascus. On Wednesday, Olmert told foreign journalists that Israel favors face-to-face talks with Syria that could result in a peace treaty, adding: "That doesn't mean that when we sit together you have to see us," he said, an apparent reference to the possibility of secret contacts. A week earlier, Olmert told a joint meeting of the Israeli and German Cabinets that he was ready to restart negotiations with Syria if Damascus would end its support for Lebanon's Hezbollah guerrillas and Palestinian militant groups. All are backed by Iran and opposed to Israel's existence. Since Israel's 2006 war with Hezbollah, both Israel and Syria have declared their readiness to renew negotiations and exchanged messages through third party emissaries, but there has been no sign of movement. The Israeli efforts to engage Syria in negotiations come at a time when Israeli attempts to reach a peace deal with the Palestinians are making no visible progress. Arab FMs re-endorse 2002 peace initiative Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem said on Thursday that Israel must show a commitment to the peace process if Damascus were to re-evaluate its support of a 2002 Saudi peace initiative. Moallem's comments came just hours before Arab foreign ministers meeting in Damascus ahead of an Arab League summit this weekend agreed to re-endorse the initiative, which promises recognition of Israel should it withdraw in full from territories it captured in the 1967 Six-Day War. During talks with U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney earlier this week, President Shimon Peres dismissed recent Syrian calls for peace talks, saying Israel would not consider ceding the Golan Heights to Syria only to have Damascus and Tehran increase their dominance in Lebanon. The president added that while Israel is always ready to negotiate toward peace with Syria, the duplicitous game that Assad is playing in Syria cannot be ignored. He noted that a tremendous amount of Iranian-funded weapons are transferred to Hezbollah every day through Syria. Olmert had told visting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov last week that Israel was "ready to begin a diplomatic process with Syria only if they distance themselves from the axis of evil and stop supporting Hamas and Hezbollah." He made in the comments after Lavrov inquired whether Israel would be willing to hold talks with Damascus if Moscow were to mediate. Lavrov had announced during his visit that a Moscow summit would aim to relaunch peace talks between Israel and Syria, and that the issue of the Golan Heights would definitely be on the summit's agenda. Related articles: Arab FMs re-endorse 2002 Saudi peace initiative ANALYSIS: Isolating Syria serves to highlight its importance PM says worried Russian weapons will reach Hezbollah Bookmark to del.icio.us   My land, my country Israeli Arabs mark 32nd Land Day in demonstrations across the country. One voice on Israel It's hard to find differences in U.S. candidates' promises on peace process.   1.   Peace with Syria ? let`s be realistic. 09:43  |  Jean Van Daem 28/03/08   2.   It won`t work Ben 09:59  |  Natallie Durson 28/03/08   3.   Peacenik without a cause 10:27  |  Proud Israeli 28/03/08   4.   Same As Syria Tyrants so is Left Wing Dhimmi Ben-Eliezer 10:44  |  Joseph . E 28/03/08   5.   Total Comotion 11:34  |  Almost Giving Up 28/03/08   6.   Secret talks? Haaretz idea of a secret is to tell the world 11:45  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 28/03/08   7.   #1 jean Van Daem 14:13  |  Zaidooun 28/03/08   8.   Israel is country of cowed population led by cretins 15:18  |  Absolute Sweden 28/03/08   9.   Excellent from a Syrian 15:21  |  Sami 28/03/08   10.   Now the secret talks are public. Can`t anyone keep a secret? 15:26  |  Murray of Montreal 28/03/08   11.   Doomed for .......... 16:05  |  Joe 28/03/08   12.   are you kidding ? 16:41  |  pablo 28/03/08   13.   uhhh huh 16:48  |  right 28/03/08   14.   Not sure I trust the word of someone.... 16:50  |  Johnboy 28/03/08   15.   Its worked before 17:27  |  Jim 28/03/08   16.   Reply to Jean ( #1) 17:40  |  Tod Zuckerman 28/03/08   17.   Olmert understands things very sloooowly (and he ain`t there yet) 17:46  |  Tosefta 28/03/08   18.   Ben, just give them everything and you will then not get peace. 17:55  |  Chris 28/03/08   19.   HAARETZ IS UNDEMOCRATIC. REFUSES TO PUBLISH THE TRUTH:.. 18:03  |  John the Priest 28/03/08   20.   Ben Eliezer is an idiot with revived insanity 18:04  |  Sal 28/03/08   21.   peace 18:28  |  ex-syrian 28/03/08   22.   Syria cn`t acheave anything... 19:36  |  georges 28/03/08   23.   Golan is Israel 21:05  |  Ali 28/03/08   24.   thank goodness these talks are secret 23:54  |  Ran 28/03/08   25.   #23 Ali your not a Syrian just some Zionist 00:27  |  MOE 29/03/08   26.   ben eliezer you lost your mind like olmert who never had it 04:07  |  reuven 29/03/08   27.   durson 07:00  |  Dutch 29/03/08   28.   Israel is all about nothing but useless talk 22:34  |  Harold 29/03/08   29.   DONT MAKE ME LAUGH ! 23:15  |  Pete 29/03/08   30.   THESE IDEAS ONLY SERVE 1974 PHASED PLAN FOR ISRAEL`S ELIMINATION 23:20  |  Joel Stein 29/03/08   31.   When Israel talks about peace, they mean it! 00:12  |  Dutch Dirk 30/03/08   32.   The Do-Nothing Kings learnt nothing forgot nothing 00:31  |  Janet 30/03/08   33.   Another diversionary tactic - more the same 01:55  |  Joe 30/03/08   34.   re:#2 Natalie Durson 02:32  |  PlanoStu 30/03/08   35.   If there is to be Peace in the Middle East..... 01:43  |  Goolam Khan 31/03/08

Today Online 'PM passed 20 messages to Assad, but he disappointed us' Responses: 76 Bush: Peace deal by 2009 likely if road map fulfilled Responses: 156 Dutch Jewish group: Anti-Islam film is 'counterproductive' Responses: 162 Editorial: Israel must help Bush, Rice's belated peace effort succeed Responses: 42 Rosner's Domain New Guest: Rabbis who don't officiate intermarriage should refer to rabbis who do Poll: what percentage Jews will vote McCain? Is McCain eligable for contribution from the new dovish lobby? 38% for pressuring Palestinians, 25% for pressuring Israel (WTR) Bush is still determined not to repeat Clinton's mistakes More Headlines 00:00 Bush 'optimistic' on 2009 Mideast peace deal 22:17 Israeli Arab leader on Land Day: We'll fight Israel's 'rising fascism' 00:01 Study: 60% of Israel's poor are ultra-Orthodox and Arabs 21:55 Vatican: Islam surpasses Roman Catholicism as world's largest religion 23:56 Barak to bereaved parents: Labor to quit gov't sooner than anticipated 22:33 Genealogy Web site attempts to map out entire Jewish people 01:29 Police: Bnei Brak has by far the highest rate of sexual offenses 20:16 Netanyahu: No substitute for Israeli control in West Bank 22:54 On Israel, Clinton, Obama and McCain all aim to be like Bush 21:42 Gaza protesters demand that Egypt release Hamas militants 21:20 CIA chief: Al-Qaida recruiting 'Western'-looking fighters 00:39 Motor racing body mum as president accused in Nazi role-playing sex scandal 23:17 Dutch Jewish group: Anti-Islam film is 'counterproductive' Previous Editions Select Day 30 mar 28 mar 27 mar 26 mar 25 mar 24 mar 23 mar 21 mar 20 mar 19 mar 18 mar 17 mar

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