By Xinhua,
Jerusalem : Israel on Wednesday officially confirmed that the Jewish state is conducting talks via Turkey with Syria for purpose of realizing a comprehensive peace.
“Syria and Israel have started indirect peace talks, under the auspices of Turkey. The two sides stated their intention to conduct these talks in good faith and with an open mind,” Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.
“They decided to pursue the dialogue between them in a serious and continuous way, in order to achieve the goal of comprehensive peace,” added the statement.
Olmert’s aides Yoram Turbovitz and Shalom Turjeman have been in Ankara since Monday holding talks with Syrian officials under Turkish mediation, local daily Ha’aretz reported, adding that the messages passed between the two sides indicates Syria is ready to begin peace talks.
Syrian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday also confirmed the indirect peace talks with Israel in a similar statement.
Peace negotiations between Israel and Syria, which are technically at war, broke off in 2000, when then Israeli Prime Minister and now Defense Minister Ehud Barakon refused Syria’s request to fully withdraw from the Golan Heights, a strategic plateau Israel seized in 1967 and annexed in 1981.
However, the two sides have been trying to resume peace talks since last year, local daily Ha’aretz quoted a government official as saying. “This started already last year, during a visit by the prime minister (of Israel) to Turkey, and it’s coming to fruition now.”
Israeli officials have said that the Jewish state is interested in reaching peace with its northeast neighbor and open high-level talks through Turkey if Damascus breaks away from “the axis of evil,” with reports saying Israel has conveyed a message to Syria that it is ready to relinquish the highland for peace.
According the magazine Paris Match, Olmert has said he is prepared to bring about a peace agreement between Israel and Syria during his term in office.
During a visit to Damascus late April, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed that Syria and Israel had asked Ankara for mediation and that such efforts would start at a low level and it would bring the leaders together if successful.
Syrian President Bashar Assad has said that his country “is willing to continue cooperation with Turkey in all what serves security and stability of the region,” and stressed that Syria wants the talks to be conducted publicly and oversee by the United States.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said earlier this month that Washington would support Turkish-brokered talks between Israel and Syria, with the United States having reportedly said it is ready to participate in talks between the countries if Turkey is able to achieve a breakthrough between them.