Netanyahu: No agreement with Labor Party on Golan withdrawal

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied reports that he and Labor Party leader Ehud Barak had reached an agreement for an Israeli withdrawal from the Syrian Golan Heights, an Israeli Cabinet communique stated. Netanyahu told his cabinet that "Israel's presence in the Golan Heights is essential for the security of the state," the communique said, adding that the prime minister and Barak agreed only that talks with Syria should be restarted.