Binyamin Netanyahu: Turkish prime minister did not strengthen perception of honest mediatorNovember 16, 2009 - 19:03 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - France is Israel's preferred broker for peace negotiations with Damascus, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told the cabinet on Sunday as he rejected Syria's call for Turkey to hold such talks."Israel is ready for talks with Syria without preconditions, ideally direct talks. If there will be a mediator we prefer an honest one. The Turkish prime minister objectively did not strengthen the perception that he could be an honest mediator in recent weeks. I prefer the French," Netanyahu said. Last Wednesday during a meeting in Paris, he asked French President Nicolas Sarkozy to tell the Syrians that he was willing to begin direct talks with them anytime, anywhere and without preconditions. But after meeting with Sarkozy on Friday, Syrian President Bashar Assad rejected Israel's proposal, and said he preferred indirect negotiations brokered by Turkey. Under prime minister Ehud Olmert, Israel and Syria held four rounds of indirect negotiations brokered by Ankara, The Jerusalem Post reported. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Narek Manasyan wins European Boxing Championships silver for Armenia Armenia’s Narek Manasyan (92kg) won Armenia’s second silver medal at the European Boxing Championships 2024 on April 28. Blinken urges Azerbaijan to continue negotiations with Armenia Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken has urged Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to continue negotiations with Armenia. Pashinyan, Blinken talk Armenia-U.S. ties over the phone Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on April 28, Pashinyan’s office reports. Titus, Bilirakis lead legislation to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have introduced the bipartisan legislation. |