Peace talks hope

Hopes were raised yesterday of progress in peace talks between Israel and Syria, following reports that military leaders held secret meetings in Europe and new signals that Damascus was preparing to offer Israel a deal on the Golan Heights, Sarah Helm writes from Jerusalem. However, some observers feel that the reports are little more than a psychological campaign by Israel against Syria.

The Palestine Liberation Organisation has called for a meeting between its leader, Yasser Arafat, and the Israeli Prime Minister, Yitzhak Rabin, within a week in an attempt to end an impasse over peace talks.