Ankara, March 27: Turkey is ready to mediate between Israel and Syria if the two agree to resume stalled indirect talks, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was quoted as saying on Friday.
Turkey mediated four rounds of indirect talks between Israel and Syria last year, but the process was suspended in December after the Jewish state launched a deadly offensive in the Gaza Strip.
Erdogan said the negotiations could be revived if both countries wished, adding the prospect would depend also on the attitude of the new Israeli government, which is yet to take office after elections in February.
"If they make such a request to Turkey, we will do our best," Anatolia news agency quoted Erdogan as saying in a television interview.
"We are determined to do whatever we can for peace in the Middle East... All issues should be resolved at the negotiating table," he said.
The Gaza offensive also strained Israel`s ties with Turkey, which has been the Jewish state`s main regional ally since the two signed a military cooperation agreement in 1996.
In January, Erdogan stormed out of a heated debate on Gaza at the World Economic Forum in Davos after clashing with Israeli President Shimon Peres and accusing the Jewish state of "barbarian" acts against the Palestinians.
Bureau Report
