Israel seeks to renew indirect talks with Syria
Olmert wants to initiate talks in his final months in office
Israel's caretaker prime minister, Ehud Olmert, wants to renew indirect talks with Syria that were suspended some weeks ago when he resigned over a corruption scandal, Israeli officials said on Friday.
Olmert will remain in office as caretaker until a new government is formed after a mid-February election. He wants to avoid a diplomatic vacuum for this period, officials added.
"The prime minister believes in the importance of continuing the process of negotiations with Syria," said Mark Regev, a spokesman for Olmert.
A source in Olmert's office said the Israeli leader had told Syria via European officials that he wanted to resume Turkish-mediated talks that took place earlier this year, and had "received a positive indication" from the Syrians.
Direct Israeli negotiations with Syria broke down in 2000 in a dispute over the Golan Heights, a strategic plateau Israel captured in the 1967 war and later annexed, and whose return Syria demands as part of a peace deal.
Many analysts believe the forthcoming change in the U.S. administration may give new impetus to a change in relations with Syria on the part of both Washington and its Israeli ally.