The U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said they are pleased with Turkey's mediation efforts in indirect peace talks between Israel and Syria, while Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has expressed his surprise and displeasure.
"The United States is very pleased to have good allies like Turkey taking a central role in making an effort to bring about a peace in which the basis for terrorism will be undone," Rice told reporters on Thursday en route from Washington to Palo Alto, California.
Israel and Syria on Wednesday said they were holding indirect peace talks under Turkey's mediation. The last round of talks collapsed in 2000 because of a disagreement over a narrow strip of land along the Sea of Galilee that Israel wanted to keep to preserve its water rights.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has expressed his surprise and displeasure at Syria's "violation of its commitment to Iran" by holding talks with Israel, the London-based pan-Arabic daily Asharq alawsat reported Friday.
The report also said that Iran's Supreme National Security Council would examine a message from Syria about the talks with Israel in order to decide on an "appropriate response." |
