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Israel and Syria 'in peace talks' | Israel and Syria 'in peace talks' |
(40 minutes later) | |
Israeli officials have resumed indirect peace talks with Syria, reports say. | Israeli officials have resumed indirect peace talks with Syria, reports say. |
Top aides of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert are said to be in the Turkish capital Ankara for discussions with a Syrian delegation. | Top aides of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert are said to be in the Turkish capital Ankara for discussions with a Syrian delegation. |
Both Israel and Syria announced last month they were resuming indirect negotiations under Turkish mediation. | Both Israel and Syria announced last month they were resuming indirect negotiations under Turkish mediation. |
Previous peace talks collapsed over disagreements about the Golan heights which Israel occupied in 1967 during the Arab-Israeli war. | |
The latest reported talks started on Sunday and are expected to continue on Monday. | |
Months of talks | |
Israeli President Shimon Peres said on Sunday that Israeli and Syrian leaders should meet. | |
He recalled the groundbreaking visit by Egypt's Anwar Sadat to Israel in 1977 which triggered a process that led to a peace treaty. | |
"If the Syrians really want peace, they must agree to a summit meeting between the Syrian president and the Israeli prime minister," said Mr Peres during a visit to the US. | |
The Syrian government has insisted that peace talks can be resumed only on the basis of Israel returning the Golan Heights. | |
Israeli authorities, for their part, have demanded that Syria abandon its support for Palestinian and Lebanese militant groups. |