Syria: Direct peace talks with Israel possible
Hours before Prime Minister Ehud Olmert scheduled to meet with Turkish officials mediating indirect peace talks with Syria, Syrian President Bashar Assad indicates direct talks on the horizon
Syria's president says he believes direct peace talks with Israel are possible and that they will eventually take place.
Bashar Assad also says that indirect negotiations alone cannot achieve peace between the two enemies. The Syrian president spoke Monday at a joint press conference with visiting Croatian counterpart.
Assad compared the peace process to the construction of a building, and said Syria and Israel are "now laying the foundations" for peace through the indirect talks mediated by Turkey.
Four rounds of indirect talks have been held this year. They were suspended after Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announced he would step down. No new date has been set and Assad didn't say when the indirect talks would resume.
Assad's statement was made just as Olmert headed out for a visit to Turkey, in which he and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has been acting as an indirect mediator in negotiations with Syria.
In the past two weeks Olmert and Erdogan have discussed over the phone issues regarding peace between Israel and Syria.
Despite the optimism, Qatari newspaper Al-Watan reported on Monday that Damascus has recently rejected a proposal to renew indirect talks with Israel through Turkish mediation.
According to the report, Syria has suggested official talks resume only after US President-elect Barack Obama enters the White House on January 20, and after Israeli general elections are held in February.
Olmert has shown interest in moving on to direct talks immediately.
Arab sources told the newspaper Syria feels there is no use in continuing indirect talks with Olmert and it would be best to wait for the next Israeli government.
Roee Nahmias contributed to this report
