Israel postpones peace talks with Syria

"The Israeli side asked for it to be postponed," Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moualem told reporters in Damascus.

"When Israel is ready to resume the talks, we will be ready as well," said Moualem, who was speaking after a meeting with his Spanish counterpart.

An official at the Prime Minister's Office confirmed that Israel had asked to postpone the fifth round of indirect peace talks with Syria by a limited amount of time.

The reason for the request is the delay in the examination of the conflict of interests on the part of Israeli negotiator Yoram Turbowicz, who announced his resignation as Ehud Olmert's chief of staff in July, shortly after the prime minister said he would leave office because of corruption charges.

The official stressed that the fifth round of talks would be rescheduled as soon as the bureaucratic issue is solved. "A message has been relayed to the Syrians, and the meeting will take place," the source said.

Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev said Israel hoped the indirect negotiations would go on.

"Israel remains committed to the Turkish initiative and to the indirect talks with the Syrians. We are hopeful that the next round of talks will be able to begin shortly," he said.

Syrian President Bashar Assad said on September 4 the fifth round of Turkish-mediated indirect talks, originally scheduled for earlier this month, had been postponed at Israel's request because of the resignation of an Israeli negotiator.

Assad had described the fifth round of talks as "crucial".

The talks are focused on the fate of the Golan Heights, a strategic plateau which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war. Damascus wants the whole territory returned.

Israel wants Syria to scale back ties with its main foes – Iran and the Palestinian Hamas and Lebanese Hizbullah militant groups. Syria has so far refused to do so.