Israel open to talks with Syria without preconditions: PM

JERUSALEM, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- Israel is willing to renew peace talks with Syria without preconditions, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday in an effort to calm the latest tension between the two neighbors.

"Israel aspires to reach peace with all its neighbors. We did so with Egypt and Jordan and we aspire to do so with Syria and the Palestinians," local daily Haaretz quoted Netanyahu as saying during the weekly cabinet meeting.

However, the launching of the negotiations should be unconditional and any possible agreement achieved afterwards should safeguard the Jewish state's security, the premier added.

Netanyahu's statement came as an attempt to further soothe Syria, which is engaging in an intense verbal battle with Israel. During the past week, the two Middle East foes have been trading threats over their stalled peace process.

In response to Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak's remarks that absence of a peace agreement with Syria could lead to an all- out war, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem on Monday threatened that the war would be brought to Israeli cities.

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Thursday warned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad not to provoke Israel. "If you declare war on Israel, you and your family will lose your reign," said the hard-line minister.

Shortly after Lieberman's address, Netanyahu had a meeting with his top diplomat. In a joint statement issued later, they said that Israel longs for peace and is willing to have unconditional talks with its neighbor.

Israel and Syria engaged in indirect talks mediated by Ankara in 2008, which halted after Israel launched its major military operation in and around Gaza last winter.

The Israeli-Syrian conflict centers on the Golan Heights, a strategic plateau Israel captured from Syria in a 1967 war. Syria has demanded a full Israeli withdrawal, while Israel accused Syria of conspiring with Israel's perceived arch foe Iran and backing anti-Israel militants like the Lebanese Hezbollah.