Syria to mull renewing peace talks after Israel's general elections

"We will have another evaluation" of a revival of peace talks if the government formed after the February 10 election "shows it has a wish for peace, a just and comprehensive peace based on the implementation of UN resolutions," Muallem said at a joint news conference with Irish counterpart Micheal Martin.

After the Israeli offensive on Gaza, the people of the region "are no longer enthusiastic about the peace process. Their priority now is to reduce the suffering of Gaza’s people through the lifting of the blockade, the opening of crossing points, reconstruction and consolidation of the ceasefire," he said.

"Then we will move on to inter-Palestinian reconciliation," between the Hamas movement which controls the Gaza Strip and the Fatah faction of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, Muallem said.

Syria and Israel began indirect peace discussions last May with Turkey as intermediary. Damascus has suspended the discussions, judging that the "Israeli aggression" on the Gaza Strip makes continuation of the talks impossible.

Earlier, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad called for increased European involvement in solving problems afflicting the Middle East, highlighting Israel’s onslaught on Gaza, the official SANA news agency reported.

"(Assad) underlined the importance of activating the European role in the region to help find appropriate solutions to the problems it faces," the news agency reported Assad as saying during a meeting with Martin, who was in Damascus at the start of a regional tour.

Egypt is trying to broker a long-term truce after the Islamist Hamas and Israel announced ceasefires on January 18, ending a devastating 22-day war that killed more than 1,330 Palestinians and 13 Israelis. Martin is also due to visit Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates.