Indirect peace talks between Syria and Israel scheduled to occur in Washington in late May were canceled as a consequence of the Israeli raid of the Turkish flotilla ship the Mavi Marmara, in which nine pro-Palestinian activists were killed.Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told CNN that he was supposed to have met Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in Washington to facilitate discussions with Syria, a move which had been approved by Damascus.Israel and Syria held four indirect rounds of peace talks with Turkish mediation in 2008, but they were suspended following the resignation of then-prime minister Ehud Olmert in September of that year.Syria said at the time of Operation Cast Lead that it ruled out a resumption of the indirect talks any time soon.Syria wants an Israeli commitment to withdraw from the whole of the Golan Heights, the Syrian plateau that Israel conquered in the 1967 Six Day War.
'French envoy to visit Damascus, push Israel-Syria talks'
'As-Safir' reports Sarkozy to send special envoy Jean Claude Cousseran to meet with Syrian President Assad next week about resuming talks.
Indirect peace talks between Syria and Israel scheduled to occur in Washington in late May were canceled as a consequence of the Israeli raid of the Turkish flotilla ship the Mavi Marmara, in which nine pro-Palestinian activists were killed.Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told CNN that he was supposed to have met Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in Washington to facilitate discussions with Syria, a move which had been approved by Damascus.Israel and Syria held four indirect rounds of peace talks with Turkish mediation in 2008, but they were suspended following the resignation of then-prime minister Ehud Olmert in September of that year.Syria said at the time of Operation Cast Lead that it ruled out a resumption of the indirect talks any time soon.Syria wants an Israeli commitment to withdraw from the whole of the Golan Heights, the Syrian plateau that Israel conquered in the 1967 Six Day War.