Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom are to meet Thursday to discuss Shalom's initiative for resumption of talks with Syria.
Shalom has proposed that Israel respond positively to recent remarks by Syrian President Bashar Assad indicating readiness to return to peace talks with the Jewish state.
Assad told the New York Times in an interview that he was in favor of returning to talks without preconditions, but added that he felt the negotiations should begin where past talks broke off.
Syrian-Israeli talks neared agreement in the 90's over a full peace in return for Israeli withdrawal from the Golan Heights, but foundered over an additional Syrian demand for a swath of land near the Kinneret.
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