In a Damascus meeting with Fred Hoff, assistant to U.S. special envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem said that Israel must return the Golan Heights in its entirety and return to the June 4, 1967 borders before talks can resume. Hoff refused to speak to reporters after the 90-minute meeting.
On Sunday, Hoff met senior military and defense officials in Israel, including Defense Minister Ehud Barak, Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon, and National Security Adviser Uzi Arad. He is expected to meet with Syrian President Bashar Assad later in his trip. Following his meeting with Hoff, Ayalon said that he had told Hoff that Israel was ready for direct negotiations with Syria without any preconditions, such as returning land.