Western diplomatic sources: Israel concerned delaying talks until elections may affect momentum.
By HERB KEINONbarak gonul turkish defense minister 224(photo credit: AP)
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's intention to push forward indirect talks with Syria three months before the country goes to the polls is motivated by a desire to keep the heat on Iran, Western diplomatic sources said Sunday.
According to the sources, the Turkish-mediated indirect talks between Syria and Israel have caused a degree of concern in Teheran, with the Iranian leaders not completely sure about which direction Damascus was headed.
Israel has made clear that any peace agreement with Syria would necessitate a dramatic downgrading of Syria's currently very close ties with Iran.
"Inertia in the Israeli-Syrian talks helps Iran," the sources said. "The indirect talks help isolate Iran."
According to the sources, Israel was concerned that the momentum would be lost if the talks were delayed until after the elections in February and the formation of a new government.
Turkish Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul was in Israel last week, and diplomatic officials said his meetings with Olmert focused on Iran.
It was during that meeting that Olmert indicated his interest in restarting the indirect negotiations, which were frozen following four rounds after Olmert announced his resignation in July.
The official reason for the postponement of the fifth round of talks was that Olmert's former chief of staff Yoram Turbowicz, who led the talks with Syria, needed special authorization from the attorney-general to continue to lead the negotiations after his resignation in August.
That authorization, according to the Prime Minister's Office, has now been obtained, and Turbowicz can lead the negotiation team as he did in the past, but this time without being paid.
The Prime Minister's Office said that no date has yet been set for the next round of talks, but Turkish officials said they were unlikely to be held this week.
Syria, according to Turkish officials, made clear it was ready to renew the indirect talks once there was someone in Israel authorized to lead them.
The Syrians, according to Western diplomatic sources, were willing to hold another round of indirect talks with Israel even though they realized that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was only a caretaker prime minister, because they were keen on getting US involvement in the talks.
The US cross-border raid into Syria last week has only heightened Syria's interest in getting Washington to engage with them within the framework of negotiations.
According to these sources, the Syrians believe there would be less likelihood of additional attacks on Syrian soil if they were involved in negotiations. "It would make it more difficult for military action," the official said, referring both to the US attack last week and the alleged Israeli attack last year on a nascent Syrian nuclear facility.
According to western diplomatic officials, the upcoming round of indirect talks would likely deal with getting US involvement in the discussions, as well as an Israeli reply to a six-point document that Assad presented Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan when he met him, along with French President Nicolas Sarkozy and the Emir of Qatar, at a meeting in Damascus in early September.
Although the details of that document have not been made public, it is believed to deal with water issues, the demarcation of the border on the Golan Heights, and security arrangements there following an Israeli withdrawal. While it is believed this document was passed on to Israel through unofficial channels, diplomatic officials said it has not yet been discussed in the indirect Israeli-Syrian channel.
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