A new round of Syrian-Israeli negotiations is set to begin on Tuesday in Paris, diplomatic sources told Asharq al-Awsat.
According to the report, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot is scheduled to meet on Monday with the Syrian delegation headed by Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, ahead of the launch of the talks in the French capital.
The Syrian delegation includes al-Shaibani as well as General Intelligence Director Hussein al-Salama. The negotiations with Israel are taking place with coordination and mediation by the United States, the sources said.
A Syrian government source quoted by the state-run SANA news agency said the resumption of the talks reflects Syria’s commitment to what it described as restoring its “non-negotiable national rights."
The source added that discussions are focused primarily on reactivating the 1974 Disengagement Agreement, including an Israeli withdrawal to positions prior to December 8, 2024, within the framework of a reciprocal security arrangement that emphasizes full Syrian sovereignty and prevents any interference in Syria’s internal affairs.
Separately, a Syrian official told The Associated Press on Monday that Syrian and Israeli officials would resume talks in Paris under US mediation, with the aim of reaching a security agreement to ease tensions between the two sides. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Damascus seeks to revive the 1974 agreement that established a UN-monitored buffer zone in southern Syria and to secure the withdrawal of Israeli forces that entered the area more than a year ago.
Asharq al-Awsat noted that Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa previously stated he did not seek conflict with Israel following his rise to power. However, Israel later took control of the buffer zone and carried out extensive airstrikes against Syrian military targets, while saying its presence was temporary and intended to address security threats. Talks between the sides on a security arrangement reportedly stalled last year.
Israeli officials declined to comment on the renewed negotiations. A spokesman for US envoy to Syria Tom Barrack also declined to comment.