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Olmert to Haaretz: Syria contacts are 'historic breakthrough'
By Amos Harel, Barak Ravid, and Avi Issacharoff, Haaretz Correspondents
Tags: Syria, Israel, Ehud Olmert 

Israel and Syria will begin indirect negotiations in Istanbul in a few weeks, in an effort to reach a peace agreement. The talks will be held through Turkish mediators.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told Haaretz on Wednesday that "there had been a development in Syrian positions and the contacts with Syria are a historic breakthrough." Olmert added that "these exchanges have been ongoing for a long time and they have now matured."

On Monday, a secret mini-conference was held in Istanbul to establish the framework of the negotiations and its content. At the end of the meetings a coordinated joint declaration announced that talks will begin.
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"Israel and Syria began indirect peace talks under Turkish auspices," the statement read. "Both sides declared that their intention is to conduct these talks in good faith and with an open mind. They decided to conduct the dialogue in a serious and continuous manner in a bid to reach a comprehensive peace in accordance with the framework established at the Madrid peace conference."

At the 1991 Madrid peace conference, it was decided to hold direct negotiations between Israel and its neighbors on the basis of United Nations Resolutions 242 and 338.

The efforts to reach agreement on starting talks began in February 2007 with the exchange of informal notes between Syria and Israel through Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The talks on Monday involved, on the Israeli side, the Prime Minister's Bureau chief of staff, Yoram Turbowicz, and his political adviser, Shalom Turgeman. Syria was represented by the legal counselor of the Foreign Ministry, Dr. Riad Daoudi. The Syrian official is a veteran of behind-the-scenes talks with Israel, and held talks with Uri Sagie, adviser to Ehud Barak, even after talks with Syria broke down in 2000.

Facilitating the indirect talks was Erdogan's foreign policy adviser, Ahmet Davutoglu.

Speaking Wednesday at a Tel Aviv conference on education, Prime Minister Olmert said that "negotiations with Syria will not be easy and will not be simple, it may take a long time and it will involve concessions.

"After evaluating all the data and receiving the opinion of the defense establishment, I reached the conclusion that the chance [for success] is greater than the risk, and with this hope we are today getting on our way."

Olmert added that the resumption of negotiations with Syria is a national obligation that must be tried. "That was the same conclusion that [Yitzhak] Rabin, [Benjamin] Netanyahu, and Ehud Barak had reached when each in turn invested efforts in this direction and were even willing to make painful, extraordinary concessions in order to reach peace with Syria," Olmert said.

"The years that have passed have not improved our security situation along the northern border, which is still a source of major concern regarding the deterioration of our security situation. Under such conditions it is always best to talk and not shoot, and I am happy that the two sides have agreed to talk.'

A senior source in the Prime Minister's Bureau declined to offer details on the content of the talks but said they were held while the representatives of Israel and Syria sat in separate rooms, with the Turkish facilitators shuttling between them. According to the Israeli source, the two sides agreed to hold indirect meetings every few weeks in Istanbul.

"The fact that the Syrian president agreed to the framework of the negotiations grants credibility to his intentions," the senior source said. "It is obvious to us that if we reach agreement it will be respected and it will be possible to implement it.

"During the talks Israel did not make any preliminary promises on the Golan Heights and did not refer to the promises made by Rabin," the source said. He was referring to a 1994 promise Rabin made to U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher, that if Syria met Israel's security conditions, Israel would withdraw from the Golan Heights.

However, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem said Wednesday night during a visit to Bahrain that Israel had commited to withdrawing to the June 4, 1967 lines, noting that this was not a new development.

"Already in 1993 the late prime minister Yitzhak Rabin commited to this, and since then all other prime ministers have followed," the Syrian minister said.

He also expressed hope that Israel will be serious in the talks so that progress will be achieved and make direct talks possible.

Talks between Israel and Syria at Shepherdstown in 2000 stalled over the question of the border of June 4, which the Syrians claim constituted the border on the waterline of Lake Kinneret, while Israel maintains that because the lake has dried up over the years, the waterline moved several hundred meters. Over the years, the waterline had served as an unofficial border.

Former Syrian information minister, Mahdi Dahlallah, said Wednesday night that if there is a peace agreement "then there will no longer be any need for resistance," a direct reference to Hezbollah in Lebanon and also Hamas.

Dahlallah said that the "resistance is not an end in and of itself but a means for restoring land that was taken away, and therefore if this territory is restored there is no reason for resistance."

Meanwhile, senior Israeli security figures suggested Wednesday that there should be no exaggerated expectations of the renewed talks.

The same sources said that it is hard to believe that the exchanges will come to fruition in the near future, certainly not in terms of a peace agreement between the two countries.

At the Israel Defense Forces, the assessment is that a major component that may encourage a Syrian agreement for an accord depends on American involvement.

IDF sources say that if the Bush administration is willing to place the talks under its aegis and Syrian President Bashar Assad is convinced that U.S. support will be extensive in return for peace with Israel, progress will be achieved.

Syria "is not as interested in making peace with Israel as it is in making peace with Washington," said Itamar Rabinovich, who served as an Israeli negotiator in the last round of talks with Syria.

The U.S. administration had been updated on the status of the talks between the two sides, and Washington announced Wednesday that it is not opposed.

"We were not surprised by it, and we do not object to it," said White House spokeswoman Dana Perino on the unexpected joint announcement by Israel and Syria on Wednesday that they were conducting indirect talks through Turkey.

Perino said that the United States was not involved in the effort, which was "a decision undertaken by Israel," but added that the administration hoped "that this is a forum to address various concerns we all have with Syria - Syria's support of terrorism, repression of its own people. And so we will see how this progresses."

Israel informed Egypt and the Palestinian Authorities of the existence of indirect talks with Syria before the official announcement Wednesday. It sought to assure the Palestinians that Israel is in no way opting for the Syrian track at the expense of negotiations with the Palestinian Authority.

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      1.   Olmert is developing... 02:15  |  Analyst 22/05/08
      2.   stupid stupid 03:04  |  JEREMY 22/05/08
      3.   Syria: DEMAND that Israel KEEP the Golan! 03:12  |  Jeff 22/05/08
      4.   Is Syria looking for an exit? 03:36  |  B (The other one) 22/05/08
      5.   Corrupt SOB 03:51  |  Steven 22/05/08
      6.   stop this man now 04:05  |  noah 22/05/08
      7.   stop this man now 04:05  |  noah 22/05/08
      8.   Why did he spend two years refusing to talk 04:25  |  Mark Lincoln 22/05/08
      9.   Jeff # 3 Your living in the past 04:48  |  Wally 22/05/08
      10.   Yalla! 04:50  |  Citizen Zero 22/05/08
      11.   What does Nasrallah Think? 05:01  |  Ari 22/05/08
      12.   Olmert is Stupid 05:11  |  JaF 22/05/08
      13.   Excellent news for talks between Israel & Syria... 05:36  |  Smadar 22/05/08
      14.   B # 4 05:54  |  Scott G 22/05/08
      15.   Golan no protection from Syrian rockets 05:55  |  Rightster 22/05/08
      16.   Golan is not Israel`s anyway 06:29  |  John Smith 22/05/08
      17.   #12 06:42  |  Scott G 22/05/08
      18.   Will somebody now go out and buy Mark Lincoln a new crystal ball 07:12  |  Jacob Blues 22/05/08
      19.   Olmert, with Gaza in Your Rear View, Leave Golan Alone! 07:17  |  Stash 22/05/08
      20.   Peace in Our Time 07:27  |  Steve 22/05/08
      21.   Wally # 9, Rightster # 15 07:54  |  Yanosh 22/05/08
      22.   Scott G, #17 07:58  |  Yanosh 22/05/08
      23.   The HEART of the PROBLEM 08:45  |  Shimon Cleopas 22/05/08
      24.   "On Monday, a secret mini-conference was held in Istanbul " 09:33  |  Yonatan 22/05/08
      25.   John Smith 09:37  |  AL 22/05/08
      26.   #15 Rightster - Wrongster 09:38  |  Yonatan 22/05/08
      27.   #22 Shimon Cleopas - another Atilla Karamanjou 09:40  |  Yonatan 22/05/08
      28.   To Rightster...pretty naive analysis 09:59  |  spade 22/05/08
      29.   Yanosh # 20 Your missing the point 10:02  |  Wally 22/05/08
      30.   #24,#26, Yonathan, agree with both posts 10:23  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 22/05/08
      31.   Olmert should just keep his mouth shut!!! 10:32  |  Sarah 22/05/08
      32.   Corruption 10:34  |  Alan 22/05/08
      33.   a peace with syria is worthless 11:02  |  darcy 22/05/08
      34.   Strange 11:09  |  Yasar Fattoom 22/05/08
      35.   Re Yonatan #24 11:11  |  Esther 22/05/08
      36.   First Gaza withdrawl then Golan 11:23  |  Stan 22/05/08
      37.   # 30 et al 11:24  |  Vinegar hill 22/05/08
      38.   If they are so happy to have 67 borders then why 11:31  |  Stan 22/05/08
      39.   #35 Esther 11:37  |  Yonatan 22/05/08
      40.   SUICIDAL TRAITOR OLMERT HAS NO VALUES 11:55  |  Harvey (Chaim) 22/05/08
      41.   what of bint jbeil and maroun al ras 12:19  |  darcy 22/05/08
      42.   now the missouri strongpoint on the east of the canal 12:28  |  darcy 22/05/08
      43.   If the talks started a yesr ago, what should ... 12:30  |  Vladimir 22/05/08
      44.   I really hope this will continue to work 12:44  |  Edith 22/05/08
      45.   Peace with Syria is very good but it needs to have 13:00  |  Akram Zekaria 22/05/08
      46.   Yanosh #22 13:01  |  Scott G 22/05/08
      47.   A GAMBLING OF A LIFETIME BY OLMERT 13:04  |  indrajaya 22/05/08
      48.   Sadat Style , Olmert Should Travel To Iran and Speak 13:37  |  Joseph . E 22/05/08
      49.   Olmert has NO mandate to give away one inch of Eretz Israel! 13:40  |  AliciaYasmeen 22/05/08
      50.   #46 Scott G. - Read my #26 above 13:49  |  Yonatan 22/05/08
      51.   Ceding land is up to the ISRAELI PEOPLE not to Olmert! 13:50  |  AliciaYasmeen 22/05/08
      52.   When is the US going to hand back Texis...? 13:57  |  Avi Yerushalmi 22/05/08
      53.   8# Mark Lincoln. I have two Yhys for you . 14:02  |  Akram Zekaria 22/05/08
      54.   Peaces of a Puzzle 14:04  |  Ronnie Wolman 22/05/08
      55.   Has Olmert´s chutspah got any limits? 14:19  |  AliciaYasmeen 22/05/08
      56.   How Interesting 14:57  |  Jeff Northridge 22/05/08
      57.   BEWARE JUDGEMENT FROM G-D FOR ANYONE WHO DIVIDES ERETZ YISRAELS 15:13  |  Bill 22/05/08
      58.   Whats at Stake 15:20  |  Ronnie Wolman 22/05/08
      59.   Vladimir # 43 Diplomacy By Other Means 15:49  |  Jeff Northridge 22/05/08
      60.   Congratulation 16:17  |  PS 22/05/08
      61.   The ENEMY is WITHIN the Gates - Pro Islam, Pro Terror Olmert 16:18  |  Linda Rivera 22/05/08
      62.   Jacob Blues, at the same time... 16:33  |  Ibrahim 22/05/08
      63.   Olmert , Assad got you where he wanted you 17:33  |  Simon 22/05/08
      64.   #56 Is it dawning on you yet, Jeff?? 17:45  |  Johnboy 22/05/08
      65.   and Hamas bomb was a break through as well! 17:46  |  Avi 22/05/08
      66.   Yasar Fatoom- Why should Israelis trust Syria? 18:08  |  Sam 22/05/08
      67.   Agreed Sam, past history is poor, but then again so was the one 18:20  |  Jacob Blues 22/05/08
      68.   Arabs for Israel 18:31  |  Afikoman 22/05/08
      69.   It `s about time that GOOD SENCE prevail. 19:35  |  Becky 22/05/08
      70.   Linda Rivera 19:56  |  Harvey (Chaim) 22/05/08
      71.   Historic, record-breaking desperation 20:10  |  Linichka 22/05/08
      72.   Johnboy # 60 Has It Dawned On You Yet? 21:18  |  Jeff Northridge 22/05/08
      73.   Olmert`s effort very strategic Syria is Iran`s weakest point 21:44  |  Marco 22/05/08
      74.   #70 Dream on, Jeffie. 01:40  |  Johnboy 23/05/08
      75.   Syria Negotiation - Land for Peace 05:56  |  Reid 23/05/08
      76.   O Israel 06:44  |  roger wallace 23/05/08
      77.   OLMERT SURRENDER TO SYRIA HISTORIC DISASTER 14:16  |  Robert Schwartz 23/05/08
      78.   ISRAEL IS NEVER SERIOUS 15:59  |  najoure 23/05/08
      79.   Syria is not weak 17:32  |  najoure 23/05/08
      80.   A responsible awakening finally on both sides 23:34  |  Ivar 24/05/08
      81.   olmert 23:36  |  azad 24/05/08
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