Israel has been passing messages to Syria for months through Turkey and has yet to receive assurances peace talks would lead Damascus to sever ties with Iran, Hamas and Hizbollah, officials said on Wednesday.

"Hints are utterly insufficient," said a senior Israeli official involved in the internal discussions.

"We’re waiting for a real message" that Syria is prepared to make a "strategic realignment" in exchange for direct talks on returning the Golan Heights, captured 40 years ago, the official told Reuters.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has also set preconditions for any revived peace talks. He told the Syrian parliament on Tuesday that Israel must first commit itself to a complete withdrawal from the Golan. US President George W. Bush has shown little enthusiasm for an Israeli-Syrian peace track, casting doubt on the chances of a breakthrough in the near future.

"We are ready for direct talks with the Syrians and they can pick the time and the place of their choosing, and we will show up," said Mark Regev, Israel’s foreign ministry spokesman.

Reuters