Assad calls for renewed Turkish mediation of Syrian-Osraeli peace

Syrian President Bashar Assad on Wednesday insisted that Turkey should mediate any new talks between his country and Israel, adding that Israel doesn't want Turkish mediation because Ankara is an impartial broker. "Israel opposes Turkey's objective stance. Turkey is objective, and Israel doesn't want this," Assad told a joint press conference with visiting Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Damascus. The Syrian leader also charged that Israel is not serious about wanting peace. Peace talks between Israel and Syria collapsed in 2000 over Syrian demands for a full Israeli withdrawal from the Golan Heights, a strategic plateau Israel captured in the 1967 war and later annexed. Talks resumed under Turkish mediation last year, but they collapsed after an Israeli offensive in Gaza that killed about 1,400 Palestinians. Israel now says new talks must be direct and begin without conditions. "When Israel says it wants negotiations without conditions, it means it wants negotiations with no foundation," he said. "This is like having a building with no foundation, so it's very easy to be brought down, and they want to bring down the peace process." Assad added that peace will stay out of reach if Israel refuses to discuss withdrawal from the Golan Heights. Assad, reiterating that Damascus wants Turkey as a mediator, said he was not opposed to other countries helping with peace efforts but stressed that this doesn't mean Syria wants to replace an already successful mediator. Assad praised Turkey's efforts to bring peace to the Middle East, saying it is one of the biggest players in peace efforts. For his part, Erdogan said Turkey is ready to resume mediation if Israel also agrees to this. "But we can't force it," he said. "Israel has indicated it wants French mediation. We're happy with statements Assad has made on this; we know he doesn't want French mediation."