Official says Syria to keep Hezbollah ties

NEW DELHI, June 17 (UPI) -- Syria's ties with Hezbollah and Hamas militant groups won't be broken as a condition of peace with Israel, the Syrian expatriate minister said in India.

Buthaina Sha'aban compared the Israeli demand that Syria cut ties with Hezbollah and Hamas as an element of peace negotiations to "a demand that the United States shake off its ties with Israel," the Jerusalem Post reported Tuesday.

Sha'aban, an ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad, said links to the militant organizations is "a Syrian internal affair that no one should interfere with." She and Assad were in India on a state visit.

The two organizations "are not using violence," she said. "These are organizations opposing the occupation and working to prevent it."

Syria wouldn't cede "a centimeter" of the Golan Heights but would "seriously strive to achieve peace," Sha'aban said.

Meanwhile, in Ankara, Turkey, the second round of Turkish-mediated Israeli-Syrian talks ended, the Post said. A Jerusalem official attending the discussion said talks were conducted in a "a good atmosphere" and the sides agreed to further meetings.