Turkish PM meets Assad on peace with Israel
Turkish PM Erdogan hoping to ultimately facilitate meeting between Israeli, Syrian leaders
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with Syrian President Bashar Assad in Damascus Saturday for talks on bilateral ties and his government's efforts to facilitate peace negotiations between Syria and Israel.
"In the first place, we are thinking of getting officials appointed from both sides together. If this yields positive results, efforts will begin to bring the leaders together," Erdogan told the Turkish state-run Anatolia news agency before the meeting.
The one-day visit came after Syrian President Bashar Assad revealed earlier this week that Turkey has been mediating between Syria and Israel since last year and had recently passed a message from the Jewish State expressing a readiness to swap the Golan Heights for peace.
Before his departure to Syria, Erdogan said improving ties with regional countries has allowed Ankara to step up efforts to facilitate peace in the Middle East.
"The atmosphere of trust makes it necessary for Turkey to act as a mediator," Erdogan told a press conference at Ankara's Esenboga airport.
"God willing, our proactive peace diplomacy will contribute to expected developments between Syria and Israel," he added.
Erdogan was scheduled to hold talks with Assad and Prime Minister Naji Otri and address an economic forum before returning home.
Assad: Israel ready to cede Golan
In remarks published Thursday in the Qatari daily Al-Watan, Assad said that Erdogan "informed me of Israel's readiness to withdraw from the Golan in return for peace with Syria" and said the message had been relayed a week ago.
"What we now need is to find common ground through the Turkish mediator," he said, adding that any negotiations with Israel would be conducted via Ankara.
A poll published in Israel's daily Yedioth Ahronoth Friday found that more than two-thirds of Israelis oppose a complete withdrawal from the Golan Heights.
