President Ahmed al-Shara of Syria has said that his country is negotiating a potential agreement with Israel aimed at decreasing tensions along their shared border and an accord could be reached “within days.”
Syria and Israel have officially been enemies for decades. But since the rebels he led toppled the dictator Bashar al-Assad in December of last year, Mr. al-Shara has pursued a more conciliatory approach.
Citing self-defense concerns, Israel has occupied territory in southern Syria and carried out hundreds of airstrikes inside the country, including near the presidential palace where Mr. al-Shara works. With U.S. mediation, officials from his government have been talking to the Israelis for months about a possible security agreement for southern Syria.
Mr. al-Shara, speaking to researchers and reporters in the capital, Damascus, late on Wednesday, said Syria is tired of conflict after more than 13 years of civil war and was working to ensure peace with its neighbors.
“We could reach an agreement at any moment,” he said of the talks with Israel. But the challenge, he added, would be whether Israel would stick to it.
Syria’s economy and military were both largely destroyed during the civil war, giving the country limited leverage in the talks, analysts say. Israeli officials have said they intend to keep forces in Syria to prevent any hostile forces from entrenching near its borders. Israel also want southern Syria to remain free of Syrian government troops.
It remains unclear what exactly the sides are seeking in the current talks. The office of Israel’s minister of strategic affairs, Ron Dermer, who has been leading the talks with Syrian officials, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Israel and Syria have been officially at war since 1948, with their most enduring point of contention being the Golan Heights, a strategic plateau that Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East War and later annexed.
The two countries signed an agreement in 1974 that established a U.N.-patrolled buffer zone between their forces, and the border has been largely quiet for decades. With Mr. al-Assad’s ouster, Israeli officials said they considered the accord void until order was restored in Syria.
Mr. al-Shara said on Wednesday that his government has continued to abide by the 1974 armistice agreement despite Israel’s repeatedly violations of it. He said that the aim of the current talks is to reach new border arrangements similar to the 1974 agreement, including a buffer zone and monitoring by international forces.
Mr. al-Shara said the status of Mount Hermon and the Golan Heights, disputed territories that Israel now controls, is not part of the current talks.
Euan Ward contributed reporting.
Ben Hubbard is the Istanbul bureau chief, covering Turkey and the surrounding region.
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