Syria's Bashar Assad
Photo: Reuters
Syria suspends indirect peace talks with Israel
'Israel's aggression closes all the doors to any move toward a settlement in the region,' official in Damascus says
A Syrian government official said that Damascus has decided to suspend its indirect peace talks with Israel because of the attacks in Gaza.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said that "Israel's aggression closes all the doors" to any move toward a settlement in the region.
Israel and Syria held four rounds of indirect negotiations in Turkey after the peace talks were launched in May. The talks were suspended when Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announced he would step down earlier this year.
Earlier a Turkish official told a Syria's Al-Shaam TV that the talks are being suspended sue to the "Israeli aggression in Gaza."
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who informed Olmert that the talks with Syria had been suspended, said "I view the measure Israel is taking (in Gaza) as a blow to the peace process and I am determined to stop it as soon as possible."
Last Monday, Syria's President Bashar Assad said he believes direct peace talks with Israel are possible and that they will eventually take place.
