Al-Assad confers with US congressional delegation
Syria-USA, Politics, 1/16/2002

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Tuesday at the Damascus al-Shaab palace received the chairman of the democratic minority at the US congress Richard Gephardt and members of the accompanying delegation.

The meeting was attended by the foreign minister Farouk al-Shara and the US ambassador in Damascus Theodore Qattouf.

Talks dealt with the importance of tours carried out by US Congress members and officials on the ME region with the aim to be acquainted with the heart of matters. The Syrian president explained to the visiting delegation Syria's position regarding the peace process and issued debated on the international arena.

He stressed that Syria has not changed its position concerning peace, noting the importance of analyzing reasons behind the failure of the ME peace process since the beginning of the Madrid conference until the present time.

The President said:" we have since the Madrid conference adopted the peace process despite engulfing conditions. He added that matters should be dealt with by appropriate means and through drawing precise criterion.. In short we want peace but under the condition to have guarantees to reach the just and comprehensive peace rather to waste other 10 years of standstill negotiations."

This, he added can be only maintained through an objective and neutral American position and Israel to become a side desiring peace.

Al-Assad questioned if the Americans agree with what the Israeli government is doing of acts of assassination, bombardment by planes and demolishing houses and whether these acts are the way to establish peace.

Al-Assad stressed the need that the American officials will have a realistic picture about the region through the information that should be correct when taken from others and these officials to take neutral stances and to be against killing which ever the killing side is.

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