The report said that Netanyahu had begun the talks, through various mediators in Damascus, in the summer of 1997 and continued them until late last year.

On several occasions an accord had been imminent, but the Israeli government leader had backed out at the last minute.

The United States government had not been involved in the secret negotiations, the report added.

Netanyahu's office was not willing to comment today.

The negotiations were said to have involved Oman's foreign minister, Yussuf Ben Alawi, the European Union's Middle East envoy, Miguel Moratinos, and US millionaire Ron Lauder, among others.

Several draft accords had been drawn up, but Netanyahu had always refused to agree in writing to a withdrawalline.

Haaretz said that the plans had clearly involved a major Israeli withdrawal.

The newspaper's military expert, Zeev Schiff, wrote -- quoting unnamed Syrian quarters -- that Netanyahu's refusal to commit himself had been the main reason for the breakdown in the negotiations.

Officially, Netanyahu has always rejected a withdrawal from the Golan Heights.

Netanyahu, meanwhile, quit politics today, having been trounced in elections earlier this month, but left the door open for a possible return in future.

He had resigned as leader of his Likud Party on May 17, conceding defeat 28 minutes after early results predicted a significant loss at the polls.

Today, he said he would give up his seat in parliament as well.

``I will resign from the Knesset but in no way will I resign from the struggle for the future of Israel,'' he told central committee members of his Likud party at a gathering in Tel Aviv.

Likud members waved banners which read ``Bibi, don't quit,'' and chanted, ``Bibi, we loveyou'' referring to Netanyahu by his nickname.