Peace with Syria possible, says Israeli PM

"A peace treaty with Syria can be achieved," he was quoted by AP as telling a conference of the Institute for National Security Studies at Tel Aviv University.

Olmert also called for efforts for peace with the Palestinians, while warning that Iran threatens the region, not just Israel.

Israel’s outgoing prime minister will meet Monday his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan in the Turkish capital of Ankara. The two leaders are expected to discuss bilateral issues as well as regional issues, including the political processes in the region.

Turkey has been mediating indirect peace talks between Israel and Syria.

An Israeli official said Thursday indirect peace talks with Syria will be high on the agenda during the Olmert-Erdogan meeting. "It's possible that there will be another round but it has not been decided," the official said of the Israeli-Syrian track.

The talks, which were suspended about three months ago after Olmert decided to resign over a corruption scandal, center on the fate of the Golan Heights.

Israel captured the plateau in the 1967 Middle East war and annexed it more than a decade later, a move unanimously rejected by the United Nations Security Council.

Olmert handed in his resignation on Sept. 21 but plans to remain at the head of a caretaker Israeli government until after early general elections scheduled for Feb. 10.

Olmert said a peace treaty would break the ties between Syria and Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah. "Syria does not have to be part of the axis of evil," he said.

"Syria wants to reconnect with the West and the United States. Removing Syria from the axis of evil is an Israeli interest," AP quoted him as saying.

Olmert could not guarantee success in peace talks. "How will we know if we don’t try? How can we try if we are not prepared to take any risks?" he said.

Olmert called for serious negotiations toward a peace treaty with the Palestinians, though that would require "painful concessions".

STIFF OPPOSITION

The Likud Party leads in polls ahead of Feb. 10 elections, and its leader, Benjamin Netanyahu, has said that he would concentrate on economic cooperation instead of a peace treaty. He has also expressed stiff opposition to trading the Golan Heights for peace with Syria.

Olmert warned, "An Israeli government that does not show flexibility, political initiative and readiness for significant and painful compromises to win peace with the Palestinians and the Syrians is liable to be pushed into a corner, bring on itself harsh international criticism that would be harmful from the security and economic points of view."

The Israeli leader warned that Iran's nuclear ambitions pose a serious threat. Iran has said its nuclear program is peaceful, but Israel is convinced that Iran is trying to build nuclear weapons.

"The Iranian threat is not against Israel alone, but also against the moderate regimes in the region and the whole world," he said. "Israel cannot accept a nuclear Iran."

In a reference to the possibility of military action, Olmert said, "Israel has the ability to defend itself." He added, "The international community must not take any option off the table."