al-Ahram: European official welcomes Syria's ME peace initiative

Head of the Middle East and North Africa Department at the European Commission, Christian Leffler, welcomed Tuesday President Bashar al-Assad's call for the resumption of peace negotiations on the Syrian track from the point where it left off, asserting the EU' s desire for the resumption of peace negotiations on this track.

In a statement given to Egyptian newspaper al-Ahram published Tuesday, Leffler stressed the importance of achieving progress on the Syrian track regarding the peace process in the Middle East.

"The European Union could help in the resumption of the peace negotiations and in supporting the outcomes, but it couldn't alternate any of the sides" he added, pointing out to the Israeli negative statements in response to the Syrian call.

He praised Syria's commitment to the complete participation with the EU in Barcelona process, describing the partnership agreement between Syria and the European Union which will be achieved soon as a positive development that serves the European states as well as Syria.