• Published 00:00 09.10.07
  • Latest update 00:00 09.10.07

PM tells Turkish FM that Golan will not be on agenda at summit

PM tells Babacan: Only Palestinian issues will be discussed; Babacan urges end to Syrian isolation.

By Barak Ravid Tags: Ehud Olmert Turkey

The fate of the Golan Heights will not be raised at the Annapolis peace summit, Prime Minister Olmert said Monday during a meeting with the Turkish foreign minister, Ali Babacan.

Olmert told the visiting foreign minister that only Palestinian issues will be on the agenda at the peace summit next month.

When Babacan said Turkey believes that the summit should include Israeli-Syrian negotiations as well, Olmert said: "I am happy with Syria's invitation to the summit, but only if it wants to be involved in our negotiations with the Palestinians. It would be wrong to include other issues."

Olmert and Babacan also discussed Syrian-Iranian relations and Syria's involvement in Lebanon. "Syria is ready for dialogue and should not be isolated," the Turkish minister told Olmert. "There must be a way to negotiate with them. The only reason why Syria is allied with Iran is the international boycott that had been imposed on it. The two countries have nothing else in common," he continued.

Olmert did not accept Babacan's position and said that dialogue with Syria can only take place when it stops supporting terror. He acerbically asked the foreign minister, "If Syria's isolation is lifted, will it stop assassinating Lebanese members of parliament?"

Babacan replied that there is no evidence that Syria is behind the assassinations.

Another point of divergence in the meeting was the politicians' different approach to Hamas. The Turkish minister told Olmert that his country believes national unity should be maintained in the Palestinian Authority and that a split between Gaza and the West Bank, as well as between the different Palestinian factions, should be avoided.

Olmert replied that "national unity has universal importance, but one does not negotiate with terror organizations." Olmert also said that even Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas is reluctant to negotiate with Hamas.

"Ask Abbas," Olmert said, "even he says Hamas is an enemy that has killed more Fatah men than Israel. We deem negotiation with Hamas unacceptable. We will negotiate with Hamas only when it accepts the conditions outlined by the international community, recognizes Israel and gives up terror."

Some of Olmert and Babacan's meeting took place behind closed doors, and according to a Turkish source the foreign minister may have mentioned the Israel Air Force's violation of Turkish airspace en route to the attack in Syria last month.

Babacan also asked Olmert to exert his leverage in the U.S. and especially in Congress to foil a bill to label the Armenian massacre during the First World War a genocide.

Related articlesSyria paper urges return of Golan Heights 'by any means'Syria paper urges return of Golan Heights 'by any means'Assad: Syria not behind killing of anti-Syrian Lebanese politicians

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan in Jerusalem Monday. (GPO)

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  • 16. 0 0
    # 15 POINTS YOU RAISED
    • Grafted Wild Olive
    • 10.10.07
    • 04:29

    Yes, Adonai Elohim Tzvoat sets the boundaries of Israel as He gave it to the Jews as an everlasting inheritance, see Gen 12:7; 13:15; 17:19; Lev 25:23; Ex 6:8 and many more. If Israel returns to Torah and realises that Messiah Yeshua never came to abolish Torah but to fulfil it and that He is Israel's kinsman Redeemer, Israel will not just have the Golan Heights but all of the territory promised. In fact Israel would be a formidable nation. There is only one true set of Scriptures given by the Ruach HaKodesh; the Tanakh and the Brit Hadasha all others are false. God's Law is above International Law but the world ignores His Torah, which is not just for the Jew but for all mankind and the consequences for both Jew and Gentile in ignoring them are eternal; the wrath of God. John 3:15-21 Baruch ha ba BShem Adonai

  • 15. 0 0
    To Paul
    • Otto Rand
    • 09.10.07
    • 19:11

    Paul, are you really suggesting that international boundaries should be determined by God's promises to Israel? I know that you believe in every word of the Torah, but so do other religions in their Holy Scriptures. They might be false according to you but not according to the billions who believe in them. They also believe in divine promises to them. Do you realize that the present conflict of Islam with the world stems from their adherence to their scriptures. It is therefore crucial to adhere by international law that with all its imperfections is the best protection for human fairness and a guarantee that everybody gets a share in this world. Think of the consequences to the gentiles if all went only by the word of Hashem.

  • 14. 0 0
    Free Golan first... then talk peace
    • Gilgamish
    • 09.10.07
    • 19:03

  • 13. 0 0
  • 12. 0 0
    Golan is Israeli through and through!
    • Paul
    • 09.10.07
    • 18:23

    It was distributed by torah lot by the hand of Mosheh!To the tribe of Manasseh.Therefore,Syria is trying to cause,israel major trouble/s etc.

  • 11. 0 0
    A smart move, but Olmert still must go
    • Polybios
    • 09.10.07
    • 18:06

    The ratio of smart to dumb policies is still overwhelmingly negative. Israelis - wake up. Olmert is an unmitigated disaster. And a crook to boot. Get rid of this government ASAP. For your children's sake, if not for your own.

  • 10. 0 0
    @ari
    • kahlil gibran
    • 09.10.07
    • 17:57

    I'm not a Jew. Just the child of (obviously non-existing) parents who lost everything after some peace loving Zionists terrorized their village that wasn?t there in the first place.

  • 9. 0 0
    I was thinking the exact opposite thing
    • Ari
    • 09.10.07
    • 17:25

    Israelis are the original inhabitants of Israel, not Palestinians..so as you see, Turkey is not in any way, shape or form a natural ally of Israel...btw, if you're an Jew, why do you have an arab's name ?

  • 8. 0 0
    @7 ari
    • kahlil gibran
    • 09.10.07
    • 16:56

    I can understand Babacan. He believes that there were only an insignificant number of Armenians in Turkey, just as the Israeli pretend that that Palestine was almost empty when the Jews colonized it. They?ve got a lot in common really. They can learn a lot from each other: How do you rewrite history? How do you deny ethnic cleansing? How do you deny rightful compensation to victims? We shouldn?t forget that Turkey is at the basis of the existence of Israel. Their dreadful performance during WWI surrendered Palestine to the English, who in turn sold it to the Jews. I think nations should always search for natural alleys. Obviously, Turkey is such an alley for Israel.

  • 7. 0 0
    Babacan, you're such a anti-semitic conspiracy theorist !!
    • Ari
    • 09.10.07
    • 16:15

    Babacan also asked Olmert to exert his leverage in the U.S. and especially in Congress to foil a bill to label the Armenian massacre during the First World War a genocide. ...SO what do we have here ? the turkish FM asking Israel to tone it down, because of the "leverage it has in Congress"..can't blame him, after all, this is the mentality that reigns in our "ally" turkey's people

  • 6. 0 0
  • 5. 0 0
  • 4. 0 0
    Oye, now the Golan....
    • Esther
    • 09.10.07
    • 13:17

    Obviously Olmert has so much on his plate at the moment, both public and personal, that the Golan hasn't a chance for the next decade or so.... And by then it may be ingeniously used for settling Pal refugees.....Anything's possible around here.....

  • 3. 0 0
    Alan.... they weren't.
    • Lynn
    • 09.10.07
    • 12:49

  • 2. 0 0
  • 1. 0 0