Damascus  - The revived peace talks between Syria and Israel may be hindered by a weak Israeli prime minister beleaguered by a domestic crisis and Washington staying out of the discussions, Syrian analysts said Wednesday.

Syria and Israel announced last week they were engaged in indirect talks under Turkish auspices over the future of Syria's Golan Heights, which has been under Israeli occupation since June 5, 1967.

"Syria fears that Israel's weak government and the absence of a US role (in the talks) may become an obstacle to a peace that Syria wants to achieve," Mahdi Dakhlallah, a former minister of information, told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Ohlmert is under investigation in a corruption scandal and has faced calls from his own defence minister to resign, calling into question the future of the talks with Syria.

In 1981, Israel annexed the Golan, which is not only rich in water resources and fertile land but is also of strategic importance.

There have been reports that Syria may agree in a final peace settlement to leasing the Golan to Israel for 25 years. But those reports have been categorically denied in Damascus, which insists, at least publicly, on the return of every inch of its occupied land.

"Syria has no land for lease," the former minister said.

There will not be any talks over anything other than the pre-June 5 border, Dakhlallah added.

Syrians are irked by the fact that Washington, which hosted previous rounds of peace talks between Syria and Israel, is not involved in the current talks.

Since the launch of the indirect talks in Istanbul, Syrian officials and media have spoken about the indispensable role of the US in any future peace settlement.

"There are many obstacles to the ongoing negotiations. Some of them are regional but some have to do with international parties with influence, such as the role of the US," political analyst Thabit Salim said.

Progress in the peace process, Salim said, is linked to whether Israel is ready to take decisions that may be painful to Israelis.

Israel and the US want the Syrians to distance itself from an alliance with Iran and groups perceived as radical by both countries, such as the Palestinian Hamas and Lebanese Hezbollah.

But such demands are viewed with skepticism in Syria where some analysts wonder whether a secret deal between the US and Iran is in the offing linking Tehran's nuclear programme to its growing regional role. (dpa)