RETURN OF GOLAN TO SYRIAN IRANIAN OBJECTIVE

Iranian Envoy: Return of Golan to Syria Is Iranian Goal - Yoav Stern (Ha'aretz)
Iranian Ambassador to Damascus Hassan Akhtari told the London-based Al Hayat Monday that "returning the Golan Heights [to Syrian hands] is also an Iranian objective."

SYRIA ITSELF IS SENDING A DIFFERENT SIGNAL:

Syria softens on Golan (JTA)
Syria said it could give up its demand for a return of the Golan Heights as a precondition for peace talks with Israel. "A constructive dialogue has to start without preconditions," Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem told The Washington Post on Friday, in what appeared to be the first public softening of Damascus´s bedrock demand.

Syria has issued several peace overtures to Israel since the summer war in Lebanon, but Jerusalem has regarded these with suspicion, noting that Damascus is eager to distract from its support for Palestinian terrorists and alleged involvement in the Iraqi insurgency.

"He who would seek peace must approach it seriously, and not just with words," Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz told Israel Radio on Sunday.

In separate comments over the weekend, Syrian President Bashar Assad told an Italian newspaper that the diplomatic ball is now in Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert´s court: "I urge Olmert: Take the risk and discover if we are lying or not."