22/05/2008 (Agence Europe) - Israel and Syria confirmed, on Wednesday 21 May, that indirect peace talks between them are underway with Turkey acting as an intermediary. The main subject of discussion concerns the conditions for withdrawing Israeli troops from the Golan Heights, held since 1967. The tricky point will be the fate reserved to 18,000 Israeli settlers there. “Both parties have decided to open these discussions in a spirit of good intentions and to continue them seriously with a view to an acceptable peace” with direct reference to the peace conference in Madrid, the Syrian agency, SANA, states. This rapprochement directly concerns Euro-Mediterranean relations. Syria's refusal to dialogue and to cooperate with Israel has held up the EuroMed process considerably. Recently, Syria issued reservation regarding the possibility that an Arab country be able, as envisaged, to one day host a Union for the Mediterranean summit until the question of the Golan has been resolved. (F.B.)