Israeli newspaper: USA not to resume peace talks without a joint framework

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz said yesterday that the USA refuses to resume the Syrian - Israeli peace talks before the creation of a framework for negotiation accepted by the two sides.

The newspaper said that the US administration sees no use in a meeting between the two sides as long as the peace talks will not achieve peace, adding that this refusal can result from the recent visits of US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright to Damascus and Jerusalem.

Moreover, it said the USA basically, according to these outcomes, refused the proposal for talks suggested by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, in which he partly accepted the Syrian stance.