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Last update - 15:05 30/05/2008
Israel, Syria said to have made progress in talks
By Haaretz Service
Tags: Syria, Israel, peace talks 

In their latest round of indirect talks, Israel and Syria made progress on the contentious issues of water, security, borders and normalization of relations, the London-based a-Sharq al-Awsat quoted a Syrian official as saying on Friday.

A Syrian official close to the negotiations said that the issues were discussed on general lines, according to the report. The official added that in the next round of talks, the sides would negotiate the fundamental issues.

The official said direct negotiations could begin in the near future, due to will exhibited by both sides.
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He said that the commencement of direct talks harbored on political and regional conditions. He added that Israel has agreed in principle to the implementation of joint security efforts as a trust-building step.

Regarding the possibility of Israel leasing parts of the Golan Heights amid the framework of a peace agreement, the Syrian official said: "The principle here is the return of all of the Golan Heights to Syrian sovereignty. Also in Sinai, security arrangements were arranged, but the penninsula has remained under Egyptian sovereignty.

The official said the issue of Damascus' ties with Iran and Hezbollah would be postponed to a later date. He stressed that the matter of relations with Iran was not raised in the framework of discussions and said Syria had not been asked to cut off ties.

Syria is concerned primarily with its own interest and Iran understands this, the official told the paper.

Meanwhile, a senior Israeli official said Thursday that negotiations with Syria were unlikely to resume next week, despite reports to the contrary from Damascus.

The Israeli official said that due to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's planned visit to the United States on Monday with associates, the talks would be delayed for approximately two more weeks.

The official affirmed that the internal political row embroiling Olmert amid the investigation against him would not harm the process with Syria.

"It is in the interest of both sides. It has taken so long to reach this point, and we have no intention of ending it now," said the official.

A prominent Syrian journalist wrote Thursday in the London-based Arabic-language paper Al-Hayat that the peace talks could resume as early as next week Prime Minister Ehud Olmert manages to overcome his domestic problems.

Ibrahim Hamidi, who is considered Syria's leading independent journalist, said that Damascus was anxious to return to the negotiating table and that serious progress had been made in the talks so far.

"Damascus will do all it can to further talks," he wrote. "It is examining every small move with hope on the way to peace."

He reiterated Syrian officials' claim that Israel's government had agreed to withdraw to the 1967 border, which Jerusalem denies. "When we mean the talks are serious, we mean that the other side is committed to a full withdrawal to the border of June 4, 1967," Hamidi quoted a Syrian source as saying.

Also Thursday, President Shimon Peres said that if Syrian President Bashar Assad is serious about reaching peace with Israel, he should either visit Jerusalem or invite the prime minister to Damascus for talks.

"If [former] Egyptian President Anwar Sadat has not come to Jerusalem and addressed the Knesset, there would not have been peace with Egypt," Peres told Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen.

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      1.   The latest idea for Israel keeping the Golan 11:52  |  Natallie Durson 30/05/08
      2.   Common sense. 12:13  |  Jean Van Daem 30/05/08
      3.   Natalie Durson 12:22  |  H 30/05/08
      4.   I`ve just had a thought and it could 12:22  |  Chris Linthwaite 30/05/08
      5.   #1: speculations 12:23  |  Leo 30/05/08
      6.   syria and golan 12:31  |  joseph arie 30/05/08
      7.   Aren`t we all forgetting the obvious? 13:09  |  Alex 30/05/08
      8.   "Olmert`s word is gold" - Talansky 13:23  |  redmike 30/05/08
      9.   #1 - some questions and please give answers 13:27  |  redmike 30/05/08
      10.   Syria leasing the Golan to Israel 13:30  |  Nora 30/05/08
      11.   There will not be any progress until Syria, 1. extricate itself.. 13:46  |  Amihai 30/05/08
      12.   redmike 14:11  |  Natallie Durson 30/05/08
      13.   Imaginary carpet ride 14:23  |  allang 30/05/08
      14.   #5 Leo 14:31  |  Scott G 30/05/08
      15.   i just dont get it, someone explain it plz 14:48  |  strength 30/05/08
      16.   SOUND THE SHOFAR!!!!!!! 15:25  |  Julie 30/05/08
      17.   Peace is best option for all 15:35  |  Abu Yusuf 30/05/08
      18.   To redmike # 9 - Israel/Syria Talks progressing? 15:42  |  Dolly 30/05/08
      19.   we are at peace 15:52  |  tony 30/05/08
      20.   To redmike # 9 - Syria v. Israel 16:02  |  Natasha 30/05/08
      21.   Durson Eposed! Refuses to answer qustions - 9 & 12 16:07  |  redmike 30/05/08
      22.   Syria is now SyIran 16:17  |  Chaim Gorenstein 30/05/08
      23.   #18 - we can all happily ignore #12s repsonse from now on ! 16:21  |  redmike 30/05/08
      24.   Lease Golan to Wal Mart 16:22  |  Osama Bama Mama 30/05/08
      25.   Miss Durson start to understand... 16:27  |  georges 30/05/08
      26.   Ahmedinejad must hate this 16:28  |  Conroy 30/05/08
      27.   #20 Natash: What is in a name 17:24  |  Kevin 30/05/08
      28.   Thi smight strain your ability to imagine but please try... 17:29  |  Jimmy 30/05/08
      29.   #2. Nonsense 17:35  |  ManintheMiddle 30/05/08
      30.   #26. I you think Iran is not involved... 17:41  |  ManintheMiddle 30/05/08
      31.   redmike the alpha male 17:47  |  Drumstick 30/05/08
      32.   Nice idea, Jimmy 18:05  |  Drumstick 30/05/08
      33.   Livnis new haircut... 18:24  |  philipp 30/05/08
      34.   #1 Natalie no pleasiong you 18:39  |  Robert Lovell 30/05/08
      35.   # 1 Just the opposite, Fatmah, is true... 18:54  |  misha 30/05/08
      36.   Don`t give up the ship, oops I mean the Golan, sell it 18:54  |  Norm 30/05/08
      37.   #27 Kevin in Baltimore. So the Arabs won`t mind Israel 18:56  |  Robert/Montreal 30/05/08
      38.   Syria`s sincerity equal Israel`s security 19:02  |  Morris Valentine 30/05/08
      39.   This is all about Olmert`s impending exit 19:31  |  IW 30/05/08
      40.   sadly Drumstick, You are wrong #31 20:05  |  Robert/Montreal 30/05/08
      41.   Syria still trying to get something for nothing 21:08  |  Margaret Connell 30/05/08
      42.   #37 Robert, it is just an Advil 21:36  |  Kevin 30/05/08
      43.   Progressive Speech Regressive Actions 21:44  |  Zev/CA 30/05/08
      44.   ISRAEL AND SYRIA 22:07  |  DAVID 30/05/08
      45.   IT`S A TRAP FROM IRAN. CAUTION. 23:02  |  BOB KING 30/05/08
      46.   Syria VS.Israel 23:32  |  Truth 30/05/08
      47.   Stupid Olmert trying to give away Golan 00:43  |  Ken Jurist 31/05/08
      48.   #4 Linthwaite 01:52  |  EZ 31/05/08
      49.   EVERYONE KNOWS WHAT IT MEANS WHEN PROGRESS IS SAID TO BE MADE.... 06:48  |  glenna 31/05/08
      50.   Giving away the Golan can only lead to a catastrophe! 08:17  |  Jean Van Daem 31/05/08
      51.   Congratulations lightweight Chris 13:17  |  x-ray 31/05/08
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