Edited sentence: A new UN investigator, Serge Brammertz, took over in early 2006.After the losses for Israel in that war, many members of the Israeli Government (the Interior Minister and Defence Minister) insisted Israel must start talking to Syria.And with Israel too, a warming could be on the cards.But Prime Minister Ehud Olmert refused.Following Israel's defeat in Lebanon during the war of Summer 2006, there were claims top Israeli and Syrian officials had met during the war to agree war aims.In stark contrast to the hostile nature of Mehlis, Brammertz has repeatedly praised Syria's "full co-operation" with UN investigators, and has even interviewed Assad personally as part of the investigation.It is important to note that although Assad has repeatedly called for talks with Israel since he came to power in 2000, his offers have been totally ignored by Israel.It is not clear whether that was officially sanctioned by Bush personally.Now, at least, they are garnering a response, and provoking a vigorous debate in Israeli society about whether engagement is the right option.President Bush has lowered the anti-Syria rhetoric in recent months, with former Secretary of State James Baker even coming to Damascus for talks with Assad.Relations with the US could be improving too - Condoleeza Rice praised Syria for their help in thwarting an attack on the US Embassy in Damascus in September 2006.She said that the US does have relations with Syria, and that the two countries are talking.Shimon Peres responded by inviting Assad to Jerusalem.Syria responded by offering unconditional peace talks in a German newspaper Der Spiegal, and again on the BBC weeks later.Talks last broke down in 2000.The US Ambassador to Syria has been absent for some months, but when questioned about this, Rice played it down.They had apparently agreed the limits of their fight, in an effort to stop the war spreading to an all out Israeli-Syrian conflict