DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: One of the core issues of the Israeli- Syrian peace talks involves Israeli withdrawal Golan Heights. CNN's Wolf Blitzer takes a closer look at what's at stake.</s>WOLF BLITZER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Syrians want Israel to withdraw to the frontier that existed on June 4, 1967, the day before the six-day war erupted. The Israelis, however, say those lines were never internationally recognized. More appropriate, they say, is the 1923 border drawn by the French who then controlled Syria, and the British who then controlled Palestine. Those borders are slightly further to the east, more to Israel's advantage. But the Syrians say they never accepted that 1923 line. Then there are the 1949 Israeli-Syrian armistice lines which included so-called demilitarized zones between the two countries. But between 1949 and 1967, those zones became the source of major fighting between the two countries, and the lines shifted. Now, how the final borders are drawn will determine how close Syria gets to the Sea of Galilee and the underground water resources at Bonyas (ph) and elsewhere on the Golan Heights that provide much of the water to the northern part of Israel. In all cases, Syria would regain control of the Golan Heights overlooking Israeli farms below. But U.S. and Israeli officials say a demilitarized Golan would ease Israel's security concerns. Wolf Blitzer, CNN, reporting.
Final Borders Central in Israeli-Syrian Talks Over Golan Heights