Turks get cool response to Syria-Israel offer

Turkey has fleshed out a proposal to act as facilitator in peace talks between Syria and Israel, but neither side seems very interested in the offer, senior Turkish diplomats said on Wednesday.

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan told Israeli television last month he would like his country, a secular Muslim nation with strong links to the Jewish state, to help mediate in talks between the two enemies.

Ankara’s relations with Syria have also thawed recently after years of frostiness, warmed by a landmark visit this week by President Bashar al-Assad — the first official trip to Turkey by a Syrian head of state.