Al-Assad meets Lukashenko; press interview with the Syrian al-Baath daily

Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko has stressed the necessity for the establishment of just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East on the basis of UN. Security Council resolutions.

In an interview published by al-Baath daily on the occasion of his official visit which starts yesterday to Syria, Lukashenko criticized the "hegemony of the one world polar policy which has led to wars in Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, and Iraq."

He pointed out that the efforts which are being exerted for a settlement in the Middle East should include the Syrian and Lebanese tracks which are part and parcel of the overall peace process.

Concerning Syria's Accountability Act, Lukashenko stressed that such policies will never lead to stability in the region, and any possible dialogue among the parties should be based on equality in rights.

With regard to the occupation of Iraq, he expressed belief that any aggression on a sovereign state is a violation of international norms, and criteria, and a denial of peaceful coexistence.

For his part in a similar interview given to Tishrin daily, Belarus Ambassador to Syria Nicholavitch Zakorsky described Lukashenko visit to Syria as an important step on the road of boosting bilateral relations.

He expressed appreciation of Syria's role played at the UN Security Council during the period of 2002-2003, and expressed hope that cooperation between the two countries will continue in the future.

President Bashar al-Assad and President Aleksander Lukashenko of Belarussia held a plenary meeting at al-Shaab Palace on Tuesday.

The two presidents expressed pleasure over the development of the relations that had been achieved over the past few years expressing common desire to promote these relations.

At the end of the meeting, the two delegations co-signed a number of cooperation agreements in the presence of both PresidentsÉ the Agreements are on: science and technology, health and medical sciences, agricultural industries, protecting plants, quarantine, veterinary, tourism, and standardization.