Syrian News Agency SANA reported that Damascus denied media reports which claimed that it is holding secret talks with Israel.
“These reports are part of rumors created by Israel in order to mislead the world”, SANA reported, “Israel wants the world to believe that Syria is in a weak position as a result of the international pressures on it”.
Also, the agency added that Syria rejects the idea of secret talks, adding that it is acting in order to achieve a comprehensive and just peace which corresponds with the Arab peace Initiative.
Meanwhile, the Guardian British newspaper reported last Tuesday that Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt urged Syria to reactivate the talks with Israel after they were halted in 2000.
The Guardian report claimed that this call came in an attempt to avoid sanctions against Syria for “involvement in the assassination of the former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri”.
According to the Guardian, Arab leaders attempted to revive the Initiative on the sidelines of the Islamic Conference in Mecca.
The Arab Peace Initiative calls on all Arab countries to recognize Israel in exchange of a full Israeli withdrawal from the occupied territories since 1967.
