Peres Says Syria Rejected Talks

JERUSALEM — Prime Minister Shimon Peres said today that Israel had sought to begin a peace dialogue with Syria but had been rebuffed by Damascus.

“We made an effort--not directly--to arrive at a dialogue with the Syrians,” Peres said in an interview with state radio marking Israel’s Independence Day. His remarks were the first public indication that Israel, which seeks U.S.-mediated peace talks with Jordan, had also sought negotiations with Syria. Peres said the appeal for negotiations on the Golan Heights, captured from Syria in the 1967 Middle East War, and for talks on an overall peace solution were rebuffed.