Al-Shara confers with William Baker: dialogue is the way for peace

The Syrian deputy prime minister and foreign minister Farouk al-Shara yesterday received William Baker, the chairman of the Muslims and Christians center for peace in the USA.

The meeting was attended by the director of the foreign media department at the foreign ministry Butheina Shaaban, the chairman of the Islamic studies center Sheikh Mahmoud Kiftari and the center's director Muhammad Habash.

Discussions dealt with the overshadowing atmospheres of tension in the world as a result of the "policies of hegemony, world peoples are suffering especially the Arab and Muslim peoples."

Al-Shara indicated "the importance of resorting to reason and logic and honoring international legitimacy in dealing with issues facing the world of today." He stressed the importance of democratizing international relations and honoring of all peoples and countries so as to create understanding among the peoples of the world.

In a lecture he made on Wednesday at the Damascus al-Assad library, Baker called for dismantling all settlements in the occupied Arab territories and for the restoration of the usurped rights of the Palestinians and establishing their own independent state with Jerusalem as a capital.

In his lecture which was under the title "Struggle over Jerusalem," Baker talked about conspiracies which have been hatched throughout history until the present time in order to occupy Jerusalem. He refuted the Zionist claims which try to undermine this city. He stressed that there will be no peace nor security in the Middle East unless the issue of Jerusalem is settled.

He expressed hope that the Golan will return back to its motherland Syria.