Shimon Peres said the Damascus regime is not ready for direct peace negotiations. “The problem is the Syrians are not ready and are unwilling to negotiate directly with Israel,” Peres told reporters Sunday, according to Ha aretz. “They want to do it through the United States.” Hopes for a Syrian-Israeli accord have risen amidst recent news reports suggesting Israel s prime minister, Ehud Olmert, is willing to surrender the Golan Heights to achieve a peace agreement. Peres, Israel s vice premier, said the United States is insisting that Syria stop supporting terrorist groups in order to negotiate peace. “And there is where it is stuck for the time being,” Peres said.
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