Netanyahu Says Syria Willing To Deal

On Monday, speaking to the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Syria had dropped its precondition (withdrawing from the Golan Heights) to continue talks. According to Netanyahu, Damascus's message was conveyed by French President Nicholas Sarkozy.

Netanyahu said: "When I met with Sarkozy, he told me that the Syrians are ready to drop the precondition, but they do not want direct negotiations. Rather, they want talks through mediation."

However, Sarkozy allegedly told Netanyahu that the Syrians want to continue peace talks only under Turkish mediation.