<?XML:NAMESPACE PREFIX = O />Attorney General Menachem Mazuz ruled Sunday that outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert can hold a fifth round of Turkish-mediated talks with Syria even though he is head of a transitional government. Mazuz rejected Likud party objections to Olmert's authority but also stated that Olmert has no power to conclude an agreement.
Opposition parties have expressed concern that further talks with Syria, which wants to take over the Golan Heights, could compromise the next government's stand.
Continuing the negotiations is a political issue that can be decided by the current Cabinet, according to Mazuz, whose term of office has been marked by frequent "middle-of-the road" decisions.
However, Mazuz's restrictions on the government were couched in general terms of "restraint and moderation."
The Prime Minister's office denied one media report that he has promised Syrian President Bashar Assad to cede all of the strategic Golan Heights, a move which would require approval by an absolute majority of the Knesset.
The High Court is likely to issue a warning to Prime Minister Olmert against, according to Voice of Israel government radio legal analyst Moshe HaNegbi. Likud Knesset Member Limor Livnat said she will appeal to the court following Mazuz's decision.
HaNegbi explained that in the current transitional government, the Prime Minister cannot "carry out personal policies" and must coordinate with the Cabinet.
