Syria Not Optimistic On Peace With Israel

Syrian Vice President Farouq al-Shara downplayed prospects of peace with Israel on Thursday.

Syrian Vice President Farouq al-Shara downplayed prospects of peace with Israel on Thursday , saying a deal lacked crucial U.S. backing.

"We are not optimistic. The American president does not want peace between Israel and Syria," Shara told journalists at his office in the Syrian capital.

Syrian officials have made clear they welcome any U.S. involvement to allow the resumption of talks with Israel, which collapsed in 2000 without resolving the fate of the Golan Heights.

The plateau was occupied by Israel in 1967 and annexed in the 1980s in a move that was not recognised the U.N. Security Council. Regaining it has returned to the forefront of Syrian foreign policy.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, on a visit to the United States, also downplayed chances for peace on Tuesday, rejecting what he said was a precondition by Damascus for U.S. mediation.