Al-Shara discuss with Powell Iraqi issue; meets Sabri and Moussa
Syria-Regional, Politics, 9/18/2002

Syrian deputy prime minister and foreign minister Farouk al-Shara on Tuesday in New York met with the US Secretary of State Colin Powell and discussions dealt with the dispute between Iraq and the USA and the situation in the region, especially the current condition of the ME peace process.

During the meeting al-Shara stressed Syria's commitment to Iraq's unity and territorial integrity and the need of reaching a political solution for the dispute taking place between Iraq and the UN, based on the implementation of UN resolutions and conducive to lifting the sanctions imposed on the Iraqi people, especially as Iraq had shown enough flexibility to meet the requirements of the UN Security Council and to avoid an Iraq military challenge.

The minister underlined the important of the role played by the US in reviving the ME peace process and forcing Israel to implement UN Security Council resolutions concerned.

For his part, Powell welcomed the role played by Syria in attaining the region's security and stability and stressed the continued contacts between the two sides especially under the current critical phase the region is facing.

The Iraqi foreign minister Naji Sabri on Tuesday contacted twice al-Shara and discussions dealt with the efforts made to find out a political solution for the difference between Iraq and the UN. Sabri informed al-Shara of the text of the message Iraq had sent to the UN Secretary General concerning the return of UN inspectors to Iraq.

Al-Shara also met several times with the secretary general of the Arab League (AL) Amr Moussa.

Meantime, a tripartite meeting was held on Tuesday in Amman that included al-Shara, Moussa and Sabri during which discussions dealt with current consultations taking place among the UN Security Council members after the UN chief has received the message of the Iraqi government on the return of UN inspectors.

Al-Shara, on the other hand, took part in the meeting of the Quartet committee chaired by the UN chief, attended by the US Secretary of State Collin Powel, Denmark's foreign minister in his capacity in his country's being as a president for the European Union, the Russian foreign minister and the minister for foreign affairs and security department at the European union.

In addition to al-Shara, the meeting was attended by the foreign ministers of Lebanon, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan. The participants in the meeting the Arab peace initiative, the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Previous Stories:
  Quartet committee to include Syria   (9/17/2002)
  Khaddam: Iraq is our strategic depth; US cannot punish Syria   (9/6/2002)
  Al-Watan: a forthcoming Syrian, Egyptian, Saudi summit   (8/26/2002)

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