Al-Shara: Renewal in Syria is a public call

In a statement to the Lebanese daily al-Safir issued today, the Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk al-Shara said that the atmosphere of the 9th regional congress of the Baath party and the position towards Lebanon can be summarized as follows: -Renewal is a public demand that is mostly a unanimous position to the leadership of Lt. Gen. Bashar al-Assad -fighting corruption is a must, but should be done in a civil manner. A manner which would not distort Syria's image -Clinging to Syria's well-known principles: commitment to a just and comprehensive peace. Peace that Syria ever sought since the launching of the peace process in Madrid -The national rights of the Palestinian people is one of the main issues and ever have the full backing of Syria;

As for Lebanon, al-Shara, who is member of the congress and a candidate for joining the Party's regional leadership said the following: Syria's position towards Lebanon is unwavering and can be summarized in all out backing to the Lebanese people and government, together with asserting Syria's total backing to Lebanon to restoring back all its territories and ensuring the withdrawal of the occupation forces until behind the international borders.