The Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Barak, has said that dialogue is the only road to peace between Israel and the Palestinians. Mr Barak's office was responding to Israeli media reports of a suspension in interim agreement talks in Washington. The reports said that the senior Palestinian negotiator called a stop to talks with his Israeli counterpart over disputes about a further handover of land to the Palestinians and the release of prisoners held in Israeli jails.
Within hours of the burial of President Hafez al-Assad of Syria, Ehud Barak called on his son and designated successor, Bashar, to resume peace talks with Israel. Speaking on Israeli television, Mr Barak said that he hoped Bashar Assad would lead Syria to an openness with the world and to peace in the Middle East.
