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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Syria to attend peace conference | Syria to attend peace conference |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| Syria will attend the US-hosted Middle-East peace conference in Annapolis, according to officials. | Syria will attend the US-hosted Middle-East peace conference in Annapolis, according to officials. |
| Deputy Foreign Minister Fayssal Mekdad is due to lead the Syrian team at the conference, which begins on Tuesday. | Deputy Foreign Minister Fayssal Mekdad is due to lead the Syrian team at the conference, which begins on Tuesday. |
| Syria agreed to go after learning that there would be discussions on reviving Israel-Syria peace moves, which centre on the Golan Heights, officials say. | Syria agreed to go after learning that there would be discussions on reviving Israel-Syria peace moves, which centre on the Golan Heights, officials say. |
| Damascus had previously said it would not attend the conference unless the Golan Heights were on the agenda. | Damascus had previously said it would not attend the conference unless the Golan Heights were on the agenda. |
| The meeting is aimed at launching talks for peace between Israel and the Palestinians and for the creation of a Palestinian state. | The meeting is aimed at launching talks for peace between Israel and the Palestinians and for the creation of a Palestinian state. |
| In another boost to organisers, Saudi Arabia announced on Friday that it would attend. | In another boost to organisers, Saudi Arabia announced on Friday that it would attend. |
| Sources within the Israeli delegation say the issue of the Golan Heights will not appear on the main agenda in Annapolis. | |
| But the territory is expected to be discussed on the sidelines of the meeting. | |
| Israel seized the Golan Heights from Syria in the closing stages of the 1967 Six-Day War. | |
| Syria wants to secure the area as part of any peace deal. | |
| In Israel, the principle of returning the Golan Heights in return for peace is already established, but past talks have broken down over Israel's demand to keep control of the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee. |