Israel Says Ready to Restart Peace Talks with Syria

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said on Tuesday that Israel is prepared to restart peace negotiations with Syria as soon as possible.

Sharon made the remarks when he was addressing local Israeli residents in Katzrin, the largest Jewish settlement on the Golan Heights, Israeli media said.

But he stressed that any peace talks with Syria must be held without preconditions, criticizing Syria for being ready to resume the peace talks only when Israel agrees to fully withdraw from the Golan Heights.

Should Israel withdraw from the Golan Heights, there would be peace with Syria, but there will be no real peace if the Israelis are not on the Golan Heights, he claimed.

Figures released by Israel showed that about 18,000 Israelis are living in 17 settlements on the Golan Heights, which the Jewish state occupied from Syria in the 1967 Arab-Israeli War.

The peace negotiations between the two countries, which have failed to make tangible progress, have been in suspension since January 2000 due to disputes over the future of the strategic plateau.

People's Daily Online --- http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/