'Syrian-Israeli meeting fell through'
JPost.com Staff , THE JERUSALEM POST May. 8, 2008
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A Turkish initiative to hold a meeting between Israeli and Syrian officials
fell through after Damascus leaked to the press that Israel had agreed to
relinquish all of the Golan Heights in exchange for peace, the London-based
Arabic daily Al-Hayat reported Thursday. According to another report, the
chances that such a meeting will be held in the near future are slim due to
the US administration's stance on Damascus.

The meeting, which was supposed to produce a joint Israeli-Syrian-Turkish
declaration, was put off after Syria told the Israeli media that Israel
agreed to cede the Golan Heights in a future peace agreement with Syria, the
paper reported. According to the report, the meeting was to take place,
"somewhere in Istanbul."
Al-Hayat quoted unnamed officials as saying that despite Turkish concern
following the Syrian leak, Turkey understood Damascus's wish to know what
Olmert's stance was before entering "a new peace venture with Israel."

According to the officials, Syria was encouraged when Olmert did not deny
the report. "The secrecy that shrouded the talks in the past year is the
main reason for their success," they said.

Meanwhile, the Egyptian weekly Al-Ahram quoted a Syrian source as saying
that Syria had recently conveyed a message about the negotiations to Israel
via Turkish emissaries. The message, they said, touched on the manner in
which information would be exchanged between the two sides in the near
future.

According to the source, the chance of a meeting between Israeli and Syrian
representatives taking place soon was slim due to the current US
administration's stance regarding Damascus. Talks between the two sides
would only begin next year, after the new US president enters office, the
source said.

The Turks, he said, were more focused on laying the groundwork for peace
talks than on kick-starting an actual negotiations process. "Damascus
considers the establishment of additional settlements on the occupied Golan
Heights an act of extortion in any future negotiations," he said.