US won't intervene in Israel-Syria talks

 Last update - 20:29 03/07/2008       
U.S. envoy: We won't intervene in Israel-Syria talks
By Yoav Stern, Haaretz Correspondent

U.S. Ambassador Richard Jones said Thursday that Washington would not intervene over Israel's renewed negotiations with Syria, calling it a private Israeli matter.

 

Speaking at a ceremony in his honor at the home of Deputy Defense Minister Majele Wahabe, Jones said the U.S. has not presented a stance on the indirect peace talks.

 

He said that the U.S., like many Israeli officials, were wary of establishing contacts with Damascus, but would not opposed the renewed negotiations.
 
Meanwhile, a Turkish government source on Thursday told Reuters that Syria and Israel have indeed agreed to hold a fourth round of indirect talks in Turkey in late July.

 

The two countries also agreed to hold fifth and sixth rounds of talks in August. They will decide at the July meeting whether the August talks will be indirect or direct, the source added.

 

The third round of talks started in Istanbul on Tuesday and ended on Thursday.

 

"The talks were constructive and the countries started talking on core issues," the source said.

 

The parties are negotiating over the fate of the Golan Heights, a strategic plateau which Israel occupied in a 1967 war and which Syrian wants it to return.

 

Jones: Attack on Iran unlikely in near future

 

Meanwhile, Jones, whose term is set to expire this summer, also said Thursday he did not foresee an attack against Iran over its contentious nuclear program any time in the near future.

 

The use of force has always been the last possible resort for Israel and the U.S., Jones said, adding that the two states were cooperating on the matter but to his knowledge, have not yet made plans for an imminent operation.

 

"I don't think any decisions have been made on any military action by any party, that I'm aware of," Richard Jones told reporters.

 

"I think a lot of people believe that the use of military force would be the last option and there are plenty of other options that need to be exercised beforehand - and I think we are in the process of exercising those options," he said, adding: We are working very closely with Israel on our diplomatic efforts."

 

When asked about whether upcoming U.S. elections would affect the chance for an operation Iran, Jones said situational tactics were likely to change, but not the fundamental approach to the matter.

 

Speculation about a possible strike on Iran has lifted oil prices, which hit a new record high of above $145 a barrel on Thursday. Traders said the market now had $1150 within reach.

 

The ambassador also condemned the terror attack which occurred in Jerusalem on Wednesday, calling it a "tragedy."

 

U.S. President George W. Bush on Wednesday reiterated his administration's support for letting diplomatic pressure on Tehran run its course, but that "all options are on the table."

 

Iran, which denies seeking nuclear weapons, has defied UN Security Council sanctions designed to curb its access to technologies with bomb-making potential.

 

Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, on Wednesday, said Wednesday that an Israeli strike on Iranian nuclear facilities would be a high-risk move that could destabilize the Middle East.

 

Reports have surfaced lately claiming that Israel carried out a massive exercise over the Mediterranean as rehearsal for such a strike.

 

At a Defense Department news conference on Wednesday, Mullen refused to say what Israeli leaders told him during meetings last week about any intentions to strike Iran.

 

But asked whether he was concerned Israel would strike before the end of the year, he said: "This is a very unstable part of the world and I don't need it to be more unstable."