Israeli officials have resumed indirect peace talks with Syria, reports say.

Top aides of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert are said to be in the Turkish capital Ankara for discussions with a Syrian delegation.

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Previous peace talks collapsed over disagreements about the Golan heights which Israel occupied in 1967 during the Arab-Israeli war.

The latest reported talks started on Sunday and are expected to continue on Monday.

Months of talks

Israeli President Shimon Peres said on Sunday that Israeli and Syrian leaders should meet.

He recalled the groundbreaking visit by Egypt's Anwar Sadat to Israel in 1977 which triggered a process that led to a peace treaty.

"If the Syrians really want peace, they must agree to a summit meeting between the Syrian president and the Israeli prime minister," said Mr Peres during a visit to the US.

The Syrian government has insisted that peace talks can be resumed only on the basis of Israel returning the Golan Heights.

Israeli authorities, for their part, have demanded that Syria abandon its support for Palestinian and Lebanese militant groups.

(BBC)

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