Israel is ready to make major concessions on the redrawing of its borders in an effort to secure peace with Syria and the Palestinians, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said in an interview broadcasted Thursday on BBC Arabic Television.
"There is no cause or reason to enter a war with Syria," Olmert said during the interview, which was held in Olmert's Tel Aviv office.
Olmert said his government was determined to continue efforts to resolve the conflict that has been going on for generations, and that he was working towards bridging the "historical gap" between Israel and Syria through negotiations.
On Wednesday, the Prime Minister said in an interview with French newspaper Le Figaro that Israel and Syria, which have recently renewed indirect talks under Turkish mediation, are not far away from direct peace talks.
Olmert said that direct peace talks could be opened once Israel and Syria agree on a precise agenda and issues to discuss, adding that better relations with Syria would alter the whole dynamic of the Middle East.
Turning to relations with the Palestinians, the Prime Minister told BBC that progress has been made on numerous issues in Israel's talks with the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), including the dispute over the borders.
Despite boasting progress in many fields with the PNA, Olmert remains skeptical that a full agreement can be signed and delivered during the remaining months of US President George W. Bush's term.
The Bush administration sponsored an international meeting in Annapolis, Maryland, in November 2007 in a bid to restart Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas pledged at the Annapolis meeting to try to reach a deal before Bush leaves the White House in January 2009.
During the BBC interview, Olmert also touched on Hamas.
Olmert said the Islamic movement would be welcome to join peace negotiations after it accepted and complied with the demands of the international community, namely calling off terror attacks and recognizing Israel.
"I don't think there can be reconciliation (with Hamas) without basic acceptance," said the Prime Minister.
The conditions set by the Quartet, the Middle East peacemakers which consist of Russia, the United States, the UN and the European Union, also call for Hamas to observe past accords signed with Israel and release Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier who was kidnapped by Gaza militants in a 2006 cross-border raid.
(Xinhua News Agency June 20, 2008)
