Syria Today | Turkish president rejects Israeli claims Syria does not want peace

Turkish president rejects Israeli claims Syria does not want peace

Turkish President Abdullah Gül dismissed Israeli claims that Syria does not want peace as he wrapped up a three-day visit to Damascus on May 17.

Gül’s comments at a joint press conference with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad came one day after Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon accused the latter of “lying” about his government’s desire for peace on May 16.

“On the Syrian side, there is a great willingness and good intentions and I can see that they want to make progress,” Gül, whose government mediated a series of indirect peace talks between Syria and Israel in 2008, said. “I understand that the Syrians are very closely following the signals being sent out by the US president. They genuinely want to conclude a deal.”

As a precondition for peace talks with Israel, Syria demands the full return of the Golan Heights. At the press conference with Gül, Assad said he was keen to resume negotiations as soon as there was someone to deal with on the other side. “When we have a specific vision and when there is a partner, then we can speak about a date to resume peace talks,” he said.

In recent months, Israel has sent mixed messages about its position on the return of the Golan Heights. Hawkish Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who opposes ceding all of the Golan Heights, has said he would only be willing to resume indirect peace talks if there are no preconditions, while centre-left Defence Minister Ehud Barak has been calling for the resumption of talks which took place under Olmert last year.