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Turkey ready to resume Israel-Syria mediator role

ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkey is ready to resume its role as mediator in suspended indirect peace talks between Israel and Syria, Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday, before leaving for a one-day visit to Syria.

The previous centrist government of Israel held the talks with Syria last year, mediated by predominantly Muslim Turkey, which has good ties with Israel.

Syria froze the contacts to protest Israel’s January war in Gaza. Since then, rightist Benjamin Netanyahu has become Israeli prime minister after elections.

‘We feel a responsibility … Requests to resume the process have started to come. We are working on the issue,’ Erdogan told reporters before leaving for Aleppo, where he is scheduled to meet Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Erdogan, who last week met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ankara, was travelling with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.

Syria is seeking the return of the Golan Heights, captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East War. Israel wants a peace deal including diplomatic recognition by Syria and other political concessions.

But Israel has said Syria does not want a peace deal and has demanded Damascus stop insisting on the return of the Golan as a precondition for talks. Assad in May played down prospects of resuming talks, saying Syria did not ‘have a partner.’

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