Talks With Israel Not Full Negotiations

Syria Media Report 3-Jul-08

IWPR

Institute for War & Peace Reporting

Thursday, 3 July, 2008

Talks With Israel Not Full Negotiations

Syria Media Report 3-Jul-08

Vice-president Faruq al-Shara has indicated that Syria and Israel are to continue their indirect peace talks, but he said the process had been overblown by the media and should not be seen as constituting actual negotiations.

Speaking to Al-Jazeera TV on June 26, Shara said the two countries, with Turkey as mediator, were exploring whether they wanted to pursue negotiations, either indirect or direct. The interview was picked up by the Syria News website.

The vice-president repeated Syria’s demand that Israel return the Golan Heights in their entirety.

Commenting on the forthcoming US election, Shara said Damascus did not favour either Republican candidate John McCain or the Democrat Barack Obama. But he said Americans were demanding change, and the world would be more stable when the US changed its policies.

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