Al-Assad confers with Spanish foreign minister

Syrian President bashar al-Assad on Thursday at the Damascus al-Shaab palace received the Spanish foreign minister Josep Picqui and members of the accompanying delegation.

The meeting was attended by the deputy premier and foreign minister Farouk al-Shara and the Spanish ambassador in Damascus.

Discussions dealt with the tour made by the EU delegation to the region and the efforts exerted in the region to achieve peace.

Al-Assad renewed Syria's stances in seeking peace based on international legitimacy resolutions and the land for peace formula, noting that Syria does not deal with individuals, rather with the requirements of the question of peace in the region.. He added:" we are not pessimists despite the fact that ten years have elapsed with nothing have been achieved since the Madrid peace conference.

Al-Assad added that the current Israeli government expresses the desire of the Israeli public and Syria will keep on waiting until this public desires peace.

He also stressed Syria's principled stand in support of the Palestinian and Lebanese peoples to restore back their rights.

For his part Picqui stressed Europe's care to maintain stability in the region through its support of legitimacy resolutions approved earlier by the international community provided or the establishment of peace in the Middle East region.