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Last update - 11:25 09/10/2007
PM tells Turkish FM that Golan will not be on agenda at summit
By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent
The fate of the Golan Heights will not be raised at the Annapolis
peace summit, Prime Minister Olmert said Monday during a meeting with
the Turkish foreign minister, Ali Babacan.
Olmert told the visiting foreign minister that only Palestinian issues
will be on the agenda at the peace summit next month.
When Babacan said Turkey believes that the summit should include
Israeli-Syrian negotiations as well, Olmert said: "I am happy with
Syria's invitation to the summit, but only if it wants to be involved
in our negotiations with the Palestinians. It would be wrong to
include other issues."
Olmert and Babacan also discussed Syrian-Iranian relations and Syria's
involvement in Lebanon. "Syria is ready for dialogue and should not be
isolated," the Turkish minister told Olmert. "There must be a way to
negotiate with them. The only reason why Syria is allied with Iran is
the international boycott that had been imposed on it. The two
countries have nothing else in common," he continued.
Olmert did not accept Babacan's position and said that dialogue with
Syria can only take place when it stops supporting terror. He
acerbically asked the foreign minister, "If Syria's isolation is
lifted, will it stop assassinating Lebanese members of parliament?"
Babacan replied that there is no evidence that Syria is behind the
assassinations.
Another point of divergence in the meeting was the politicians'
different approach to Hamas. The Turkish minister told Olmert that his
country believes national unity should be maintained in the
Palestinian Authority and that a split between Gaza and the West Bank,
as well as between the different Palestinian factions, should be
avoided.
Olmert replied that "national unity has universal importance, but one
does not negotiate with terror organizations." Olmert also said that
even Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas is reluctant to
negotiate with Hamas.
"Ask Abbas," Olmert said, "even he says Hamas is an enemy that has
killed more Fatah men than Israel. We deem negotiation with Hamas
unacceptable. We will negotiate with Hamas only when it accepts the
conditions outlined by the international community, recognizes Israel
and gives up terror."
Some of Olmert and Babacan's meeting took place behind closed doors,
and according to a Turkish source the foreign minister may have
mentioned the Israel Air Force's violation of Turkish airspace en
route to the attack in Syria last month.
Babacan also asked Olmert to exert his leverage in the U.S. and
especially in Congress to foil a bill to label the Armenian massacre
during the First World War a genocide.
Source: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArtVty.jhtml? sw=Armenian&itemNo=910979
PM tells Turkish FM that Golan will not be on agenda at summit
By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent
The fate of the Golan Heights will not be raised at the Annapolis
peace summit, Prime Minister Olmert said Monday during a meeting with
the Turkish foreign minister, Ali Babacan.
Olmert told the visiting foreign minister that only Palestinian issues
will be on the agenda at the peace summit next month.
When Babacan said Turkey believes that the summit should include
Israeli-Syrian negotiations as well, Olmert said: "I am happy with
Syria's invitation to the summit, but only if it wants to be involved
in our negotiations with the Palestinians. It would be wrong to
include other issues."
Olmert and Babacan also discussed Syrian-Iranian relations and Syria's
involvement in Lebanon. "Syria is ready for dialogue and should not be
isolated," the Turkish minister told Olmert. "There must be a way to
negotiate with them. The only reason why Syria is allied with Iran is
the international boycott that had been imposed on it. The two
countries have nothing else in common," he continued.
Olmert did not accept Babacan's position and said that dialogue with
Syria can only take place when it stops supporting terror. He
acerbically asked the foreign minister, "If Syria's isolation is
lifted, will it stop assassinating Lebanese members of parliament?"
Babacan replied that there is no evidence that Syria is behind the
assassinations.
Another point of divergence in the meeting was the politicians'
different approach to Hamas. The Turkish minister told Olmert that his
country believes national unity should be maintained in the
Palestinian Authority and that a split between Gaza and the West Bank,
as well as between the different Palestinian factions, should be
avoided.
Olmert replied that "national unity has universal importance, but one
does not negotiate with terror organizations." Olmert also said that
even Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas is reluctant to
negotiate with Hamas.
"Ask Abbas," Olmert said, "even he says Hamas is an enemy that has
killed more Fatah men than Israel. We deem negotiation with Hamas
unacceptable. We will negotiate with Hamas only when it accepts the
conditions outlined by the international community, recognizes Israel
and gives up terror."
Some of Olmert and Babacan's meeting took place behind closed doors,
and according to a Turkish source the foreign minister may have
mentioned the Israel Air Force's violation of Turkish airspace en
route to the attack in Syria last month.
Babacan also asked Olmert to exert his leverage in the U.S. and
especially in Congress to foil a bill to label the Armenian massacre
during the First World War a genocide.
Source: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArtVty.jhtml? sw=Armenian&itemNo=910979