Turkish PM in Syria

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan met Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Saturday to discuss Turkish attempts to help relaunch peace talks between Syria and Israel.

Turkey, a mainly Muslim country with close ties with Israel, has been relaying messages between Syria and Israel for months, diplomats say.

Syrian officials say Erdogan called Assad last week to tell him Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert had told Turkey that Israel was willing to give back all of Syria's Golan Heights in return for peace with Syria.

"The trust Turkey has makes it almost obligatory to take on a mediating role," Erdogan told reporters in Turkey before flying to the Syrian capital. "The peace diplomacy we carry out will have a positive contribution... whether in Iraq, between Syria and Israel or between Israel and Palestine."

Assad told Qatar's al-Watan newspaper this week that Syria was ready to negotiate with Israel through Turkey to "find common ground" for peace, but any direct talks must wait until a new US president was elected.