US congressmen: We work to revitalize peace process

In a statement to the press on Wednesday at Damascus Sheraton hotel, the president of Arab-American Institute, James Zoghbi, who is currently visiting Syria with a US congressional delegation said the US must not allow the peace process to collapse.

He noted that President Clinton's administration has made a commitment to move the peace process forward because it understands that US interests are at stake, and that the Israeli government is obstructing the forward movement of the peace process. Thereby, the US is exerting pressure in order to force Prime Minister Netanyahu's government to make decisions, he said.

Zoghbi said, "The role of the Arab world has been very positive by affirming the Arab commitment to peace, but at the same time affirming that peace must be based on principles has been most helpful."

In a similar press conference Representative Nick Rahall who is the leader of the US congressional delegation, and a Democrat from West Virginia said the delegation is in Syria on a non-governmental mission to help restart the peace process again between Syria, Lebanon and Israeli.

On the presence of the Arab lobby in the U.S.A. Rahall said he is of Lebanese descent and that Arab American ties are growing day by day. He said that although the Arab groups in the US are10 years behind Jewish groups in terms of organization, they should organize themselves because they represent Arab and US interests, as well.

Representative Maurice Hinchey, a Democrat from New York and a member of Banking and Financial Services, resources and joint economic committees, said the "US administration is definitely moving constructively regarding the Middle East peace process." He added that Syria and Lebanon have been removed from the US list of major drug-producing nations, noting that a real change in relations between Syria and the US is expected to take place.

The US congressional delegation is in Syria at the invitation of the Syrian government.