Ahmed al-Sharaa says Syria-Israel talks could yield results 'in the coming days'

(Patria) - Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa said yesterday that ongoing negotiations with Israel on a security pact could lead to results 'in the coming days', Reuters reported.

He told reporters in Damascus that the security pact is 'necessary' and would have to respect Syrian airspace and territorial unity, and be supervised by the United Nations.

Syria and Israel are negotiating an agreement that Damascus hopes will ensure a halt to Israeli airstrikes and the withdrawal of Israeli troops that have penetrated southern Syria.

Reuters earlier reported that Washington is pressuring Syria to reach a deal before world leaders gather next week at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

But Sharaa told reporters ahead of his expected trip to New York to attend the meeting, denying that the United States is exerting any pressure on Syria and instead saying they are playing a mediating role.
He said Israel has carried out more than 1,000 strikes on Syria and more than 400 ground incursions since December 8, when the offensive he led toppled former President Bashar al-Assad.

Sharaa said Israeli actions contradict stated US policy for a stable and united Syria, which he called 'very dangerous'.

He said Damascus is seeking an agreement similar to the 1974 disengagement agreement between Israel and Syria that created a demilitarized zone between the two countries.

He said Syria is seeking the withdrawal of Israeli troops, but Israel wants to remain at strategic locations it seized after December 8, including Mount Hermon. Israeli ministers have publicly said Israel intends to maintain control of the sites.

He said that if the security pact succeeds, other agreements could be reached. He did not provide details, but said a peace agreement or normalization deal like the US-brokered Abraham Accords, under which several Muslim-majority countries agreed to normalize diplomatic relations with Israel, is currently not on the table.

He said it is too early to discuss the fate of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights because it is a 'big issue'.

Reuters reported this week that Israel has ruled out the possibility of returning the zone, which Donald Trump unilaterally recognized as Israeli during his first term as US president.

'It's a tough case - you have negotiations between a Damascene and a Jew,' Sharaa told reporters, smiling.