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June 2008 - News
June 2008

Syrian-Israeli indirect peace talks confirmed

Damascus confirmed on May 21 that it has begun indirect peace negotiations with Israel via Turkey.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Syria on April 26 where he announced that Turkey was willing to act as a mediator between Syria and Israel to reach a peace agreement. At the time, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad agreed to Turkish mediation efforts and voiced Damascus’ desire to achieve a just and comprehensive peace in the region.

“Syria has full trust in Turkey,” Umran Zauby, a Syrian political analyst, said. “Turkey has good ties with Syria and Israel. This is why it that can play a positive role in reaching a peace agreement.”

Member of Parliament Suleiman Haddad emphasised that Syria’s line of policy towards Israel still focuses on its right to regain the strategic Golan Heights which Israel occupied in the 1967 Six-Day War.

The last round of Israeli-Syrian peace talks broke down in January 2000 when the two sides were unable to resolve their dispute over the Golan Heights.