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Moscow May Host Talks for Israel, Syria

Sequel to Annapolis would tackle dispute over Golan Heights

By Jason Farago,  Newser Staff

Posted Nov 29, 2007 1:46 PM CST
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(Newser) – Russia and the US are hatching a possible follow-up to the Annapolis Mideast summit in Moscow next year; the meeting would be aimed at launching peace negotiations between Israel and Syria, the Washington Post reports. Both sides signaled enthusiasm about reviving talks, centered on the dispute over the Golan Heights, which Israel seized in the 1967 Six-Day War.

Faced with a weakened Palestinian Authority, Israel is eager to deal with Syria, which might be hostile but better able to deliver change. The Israel-Syria dispute is also much less fraught than the issues dividing Israel and the Palestinian Authority, officials say. "The delicious irony is that a process designed to launch the Palestinian-Israeli track is likely to launch talks between Syria and Israel," says one Annapolis observer.

From left, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, U.S. President Bush, Palestinian negotiator Ahmed Qureia, front, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak, Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert meet at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., on Tuesday....
From left, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, U.S. President Bush, Palestinian negotiator Ahmed Qureia, front, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak, Israeli...   (Associated Press)
Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Fayssal Mekdad during the opening session of the Mideast conference at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2007. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Fayssal Mekdad during the opening session of the Mideast conference at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2007. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)   (Associated Press)
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, center, stands with Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa, left, and Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Fayssal Mekdad, right, and an unidentified person prior to the start of the Mideast conference at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2007. President Bush hopes...
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, center, stands with Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa, left, and Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Fayssal Mekdad, right, and an unidentified person prior to...   (Associated Press)
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert listens during the opening session of the Mideast conference at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., on Tuesday. President Bush hopes the Annapolis Conference will be the launch of the first Israeli-Palestinian peace talks in seven years. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert listens during the opening session of the Mideast conference at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., on Tuesday. President Bush hopes the Annapolis Conference will...   (Associated Press)
President Bush, center, looks on as Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, left, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas shake hands at the opening session on Tuesday. President Bush hopes the Annapolis Conference will be the launch of the first Israeli-Palestinian peace talks in seven years. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
President Bush, center, looks on as Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, left, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas shake hands at the opening session on Tuesday. President Bush hopes the Annapolis...   (Associated Press)
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Israel • Syria • Moscow • Six Day War • Annapolis summit • Arab Israeli conflict • Golan Heights • George W. Bush

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