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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Israel says it is holding peace talks with Syria |
| 2008-05-21 |
| Israel and Syria on Wednesday said they were holding indirect peace talks through Turkish mediators — the first official confirmation of contacts between the longtime enemies. In statements issued minutes apart, the two governments said they "have declared their intent to conduct these talks in good faith and with an open mind," with a goal of reaching "a comprehensive peace." Both nations thanked Turkey for its help, and Turkey issued its own confirmation. Muslim Turkey has good ties with both Israel and Syria. There have been reports in recent months of new Israeli-Syrian contacts through Turkey, and Turkey's foreign minister said earlier this month that his country was trying to bring the sides together. But this was the first official confirmation that contacts have resumed. An Israeli government official said Olmert's chief of staff and diplomatic adviser have been in Turkey since Monday. "In parallel their Syrian counterparts are in Turkey as well," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the talks. He declined to discuss the substance of the talks. Rest at link |
| Posted by:ed |
| #5 New suspicion of money laundering disclosed against PM Olmert Faster, please! |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2008-05-21 14:38 |
| #4 to clarify - i said "when the iranians turn on them" I meant AFTER a deal with Israel. Assuming Assad cuts a deal to finally get Golan back, the Iranians will THEN be outraged. and they can make trouble for Assad in Lebanon, where it looks like they run Hezb, not Syria. Syria will have to do some nimble dancing to put together a friendly coalition at that point, and will have to focus their resources on that. |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2008-05-21 12:48 |
| #3 I wouldnt say winding down. Simply that its always a temptation to Assad to switch sides, in order to A. Get the Golan back - a HUGE prestige win for him domestically B. To get a freer hand in Lebanon C. To reduce the chance of getting overthrown with western support. i'm a bit surprised this came out today, in the sense that Syria seems to be "winning" in Lebanon. Maybe they are growing scared of Hezb, which is looking more like an Iranian protege than a syrian one, and are thinking of switching sides in Leb once again. More likely the talks have been going on for some time, and are a response to the desires I mentioned above, broader frustration with Leb (and with pressure from the west) and perhaps a realization of the changes in Iraq (and recall, "flypaper" has worked to Syria's benefit - if the AQniks stop going to Iraq, some of them are going to make trouble in Syria) It became public JUST NOW presumably at Olmerts initiative, for largely domestic reasons. The exact nature of Syrian-Iran relations just now, Im not real sure of. |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2008-05-21 12:46 |
| #2 LH - Are you of the opinion that the Iran-Syria alliance is winding down? if so, is it because a - of Saudi pressure/bribes b - declining bribes by Iran c - Syrian annoyance with Iran's use of Hezb and Hamas d - Syrian discovery of some Iran agents amongst the Syrian intel service |
| Posted by: mhw 2008-05-21 12:39 |
| #1 An Israel - Syrian deal is bad news for the Pals, and also bad news for the March 14 grouping in Lebanon. Likely it would involve a return of the Golan (with some level of demilitarization), a compromise over the disputed area along the Sea of Gallilee (Syria wants a return to the line pre-1967 - conveniently ignoring that in 1948 Syria annexed areas on the Brit mandate side of the international border - Israel wants the international border, but might make some deal to split the difference) in return for recognition, end to the boycott, end to further claims, and an end to Syrian support for Hamas. This would give Israel a freer hand wrt the Pals and Iran, but would enable the Syrians to focus on Lebanon. Which they will need, when the Iranians turn on them. |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2008-05-21 09:22 |