Tel Aviv, July 09, SPA -- Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert called on Syrian President Bashar Assad to reopen peace talks between the two countries in an interview published Tuesday. «I am willing to sit with him if he is willing to sitwith me. We'll talk about peace.»Olmert toldthe Arab satellite TV channel, Al-Arabiya in the interview, whose excerpts were broadcast by Israel's Channel 10 TV. Assad has also called for the reopening of peace talks with Israel, but Olmert has rebuffed the offer as a Syrianattempt to win favor with the United States. Israeli Public Security Minister Avi Dichter said Tuesdaythat Olmert indeed wants to resume talks with Syria and his offer was «genuine and real.» Asked about an apparent softening in Olmert's position on Syria, Dichter said Israel had not formed a firm stance but would if the matter became more relevant, according to a report of the Associated Press. --SPA www.spa.gov.sa/466208