Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said on Sunday that contacts between Syria and Israel were suspended after Tel Aviv struck the Abu al-Duhur airbase in northern Syria, but expected negotiations on a security agreement to resume \u201csoon.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe expect negotiations with Israel on a security agreement to resume soon, which we hope will lead to its withdrawal from Syrian territory,\u201d Shaibani said in an interview with Western media, as cited by\u00a0Syria Alikhbaria TV<\/em>.<\/p>\n He urged Israel to seize a \u201chistoric opportunity,\u201d stressing that \u201cthe door remains open to diplomacy.\u201d<\/p>\n Shaibani said Syria\u2019s immediate priority is to halt Israeli attacks and take confidence-building measures.<\/p>\n He said the negotiating track was suspended following the Iran-Israel war and expressed hope that talks would resume in the coming period.<\/p>\n The minister disclosed that direct contacts with Israel stopped after an Israeli airstrike targeted the Abu al-Duhur airbase in the northern Idlib province on August\u00a018.<\/p>\n \u201cWe do not trust Israel at present,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n