Israeli-Syria talks are an enigma

There is certainly not a great deal of transparency when it comes to the recent Syrian-Israeli talks in Turkey. Essentially, no one has a real idea of what is actually going on between the two sides.

What we do know is that Israel is applying pressure on Syria by demanding it gives up its support for Iran and Hezbollah, and to a lesser extent, Hamas. Syria's stance on the other hand remains very simple: return all of the occupied territories.

There has been some speculation as to why both countries chose to engage in such talks now. Undoubtedly, the regional setting substantially changed in the aftermath of the Israeli war on Lebanon in 2006, which resulted in strengthening Hezbollah's political power and of course, weakening Tel Aviv.

It could be that both countries would like to appear optimistic and committed to the rest of the world but secretly maintain their suspicions of one another.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert could be using these talks as a distraction from the stalling Palestinian-Israeli negotiations.

While direct diplomacy between Israel and Syria is a step in the right direction, it should be part of the wider frame of Arab-Israeli peace talks. In that context, the international community should step up its support for such talks.