Israel and Syria are still technically at war over the Golan Heights, which Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war.

It was reported in April that Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was mediating in talks between the two sides.

New momentum

In a statement, Syria’s foreign ministry said both sides had “expressed
their desire to conduct the talks in goodwill and decided to continue
dialogue with seriousness to achieve comprehensive peace”.

 

Mr Olmert’s spokesman Mark Regev said the two countries had indicated
“they want to lead these negotiations in a serious spirit so as to
achieve complete peace”.

The Syrian foreign minister, Walid Muallem, said Israel had agreed to withdraw from the Golan up to the armistice line of 1967.

Israel has refused to comment on the claim, although a spokesman for Mr
Olmert said the current talks were being carried out with the failure
of the previous ones in mind, and that the talks had recently gathered
momentum.

The US and the EU have welcomed news of the talks, and both have praised Turkey’s role as facilitator.

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas said he hoped the two parties “will reach a peaceful solution”.

Analysts suggest that, in return for any withdrawal, Israel would
demand Syria sever its ties with Iran and the Hezbollah group in
Lebanon.

However, they add that withdrawal from the Golan would not be popular with Israelis.

The reports of talks in April sparked outrage in the Israeli
parliament, where several MPs said they would try to accelerate the
passage of a bill requiring any withdrawal from the Golan to be backed
by a referendum.

Mr Olmert is currently battling corruption allegations,
and the BBC’s Katya Adler in Jerusalem says the prime minister’s
critics believe the confirmation of peace talks may be an attempt to
divert some attention from that.