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Israel Rejects Syrian Terms on Resumption of Peace Talks
Zalman Shoval, diplomatic advisor to Israeli Prime Minister-elect Ariel Sharon, said on Thursday that Syrian terms for resuming Israeli-Syrian negotiations are unrealistic.
"It's doubtful whether the Syrians are seeking a peace agreement at all," Shoval said in an interview with Army Radio.
"We don't see the Syrian track as the top of our priorities, despite various statements by the Syrian leadership," he added.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on Wednesday that he was willing to negotiate with Sharon on the basis of the terms already offered by Damascus in the past.
The Israeli-Syrian peace talks resumed at the end of 1999 after a nearly four-year break but were shelved again in January 2000 due to disputes over the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Golan Heights occupied by Israel in 1967 Mideast War.
Syria demands Israel withdraw to the control lines before the 1967 war while Israel insists on keeping the northeastern shore of the Sea of Galilee, a main source of water of the Jewish state.
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