On president Assad's visit to Russia
Syria-Russia, Politics, 1/18/2005

Member of the Russian Federation Council Ramadan Abdullatifof said Monday the forthcoming visit of President Bashar al-Assad to Moscow will constitute a turning point in the bilateral relations between Syria and Russia.

"Talks between Presidents al-Assad and Vladimir Putin will contribute to activating and developing the Syrian-Russian relations in all fields," Abdullatifof told SANA in Moscow.

He pointed out to "the important role Russia must play in the peace process of the Middle East." The Russian official added that the Russian stance vis-a-vis peace process is still firm which calls for the necessity of resuming peace negotiations on the Lebanese and Syrian tracks by efforts of Russia and the international community.

"Russia calls for implementing the UN relevant resolutions regarding the restoration of the occupied Syrian Golan and all the occupied Arab lands," he stressed.

"Syria, under the leadership of President Bashar al-Assad, plays a pivotal and basic role in the Middle East policy ... The unfair campaign Syria is exposed to is baseless and unjustified," the Russian parliamentarian said.

He warned the US against the unilateral policy which poses a lot of dangers to the US itself. "In the end, the US will find itself incapable of controlling the world. It seems that the Americans themselves began to clearly recognize that matter," Abdullatifof added.

Meanwhile, Russian Deputy Chairman of the Geopolitics Academy, General Leonid Ivachov expressed hope that President al-Assad's visit to Russia will improve the economic and trade relations between Syria and Russia as well as will develop economic cooperation.

He urged Russian and Syrian businessmen to activate cooperation and provide suitable atmospheres in the interest of the two countries.

General Ivachov called on the international community to "support Syria and Lebanon to regain their legitimate rights, compel Israel to implement the UN relevant resolutions and to impose economic sanctions against Israel if it rejects to abide by the will of the international community."

He called for making the Middle East an area free of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and to avoid the "double standard" policy. "Israeli WMD are the main factor that undermines stability in the Middle East," Ivachov said, expressing regret that the international community neglects Israeli nuclear arsenal.

He appealed to superpowers to play a pivotal role in the Middle East peace process, urging them to support steadfastness of Syria and Lebanon in the face of foreign threats and pressures.

Previous Stories:
  Al-Assad: talks with Putin will not include buying missiles   (1/15/2005)
  Syrian- Russian coordination over Sharm esh Sheikh conference on Iraq   (10/26/2004)
  Lavrov in Syria; we share similar views on regional issues   (9/8/2004)

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