Al-Assad stresses to US delegation importance of pressuring Israel

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad on Monday in Damascus received the US Congressional delegation led by Darrell Issa, member of international relations committee.

The meeting was attended by the US ambassador in Damascus Theodore Qattouf. Discussions dealt with the situation in the region.

The president presented Syria's view point concerning the suspended peace process and underlined the American role in pressuring Israel to abide by peace. He indicated that Syria always stresses that peace is necessary for achieving development in the region. He also indicated that no perspective can be drawn for the future of the peace process without dealing with countries concerned.

He explained "we are not pessimistic, rather optimists, because by the ultimate end we have the reality and we deal with it objectively."

Chairman and members of the delegation expressed their appreciation and understanding for what they heard from the president and stressed the importance of achieving peace in the region.