Report: Turkish PM says Israel OK with Turkey mediating more talks with Syria
By APTuesday, March 9, 2010
Report: Turkey to again mediate Syria-Israel talks
ANKARA, Turkey — A news report quotes the Turkish prime minister as saying Israel has accepted that Turkey will again mediate talks with Syria.
Turkey’s NTV television quotes Recep Tayyip Erdogan as telling reporters in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday that the stalled talks may resume soon.
An Israeli government spokesman had no immediate comment about the report.
Turkey mediated several rounds of indirect negotiations between the Mideast rivals in 2008, but little progress was made.
Syria later suspended the talks in response to Israel’s military offensive in Gaza, and Israeli officials said Turkey’s scathing criticism of Israel’s role in the conflict had disqualified it as a mediator.
NTV quoted Erdogan as saying the Syria-Israel talks can begin “any minute.”
