Chancellor Klima in Damascus today, land for peace principle stressed

Austria's Federal Chancellor Viktor Klima arrived in Damascus on Monday for a two-day visit to Syria to hold talks with President Hafez al-Assad, the Speaker of the Syrian People's assembly, Abdul Qader Qaddoura, and the Prime Minister Mahmoud al-Zoubi.

In his meeting Sunday with Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak, Klima discussed Middle East peace process developments and efforts made to bring it out of the stalemate it has reached. The two sides discussed the Iraqi crisis and the need to settle it by peaceful means as well as bilateral relations and increasing the volume of commercial exchange between the two countries.

In a press statements following his meeting with President Mubarak, Chancellor Klima said his country will intensify efforts to revitalize negotiations on the Syrian track and to abide by obligations according to the land for peace principle.