Israel feels releif toward US role

A high-ranking Israeli official said that Israel feels releif so far toward the mediation role played by the USA in the peace negotiations recently held with Syria and that it thinks that the work paper recently raised by Washington forms humble progress, as it is a good basis for the coming round of talks between the two sides.

The Israeli newspaper Jerusalem Post quoted the official-- whose identity was not revealed-- as saying as saying that the USA never planned to use pressure on Israel to present concessions through the last round of peace talks with Syria, which started on January 3 in the US city of Shepherdstown and lasted for eight days.