JERUSALEM, 22 May 2008 — Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said talks announced yesterday with Syria were “exciting” but he warned Israelis they would be difficult and could ultimately mean making tough compromises for peace.
“The negotiations won’t be easy ... and may last a long time and could ultimately involve difficult concessions,” Olmert said in a speech. He did not spell out what concessions he might make but he has said in the past that he would be ready to give Syria back the Golan Heights in return for peace.
Israel and Syria announced they had resumed peace talks through Turkish mediators after an eight-year freeze, with Damascus saying it had a prior Israeli undertaking to return the whole of the occupied Golan Heights.
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said the talks were aimed at paving the ground “for the resumption of direct negotiations aimed at achieving just and comprehensive peace in the region.” Muallem said Damascus had received Israeli commitments for a full withdrawal from the strategic plateau that the Jewish state occupied in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and annexed in 1981 — a move never recognized by the international community. A full withdrawal from the Golan Heights would also retrace the border on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, Israel’s main water source.
Olmert’s office said Syria and Israel “decided to conduct the dialogue in a serious and continuous manner in a bid to reach a comprehensive peace.” The United States welcomed the move.
