Prime Minister Ehud Olmert spoke about the tense relations between Israel and Syria on Monday for the first time since Israel reportedly attacked strategic targets in Syria two weeks ago. “I have a lot of respect for Syria’s leader and for Syrian policy,” Olmert said. Israel “wants to make peace with everyone,” he said, and is willing to hold talks with Syria.
Under the right conditions, Olmert said, “we are ready to make peace with Syria with no preconditions and no ultimatums.” “Internal problems” in Syria are no reason to rule out the possibility of dialogue, he said. Olmert made his statements in a meeting with reporters from Russian-language media outlets.