Austrian parliamentarian arrives in Damascus

The second speaker of the Austrian Parliament, Heinrich Neisser, and members of the accompanying delegation arrived in Damascus on Tuesday for a six-day official visit to Syria.

In an arrival statement at Damascus Airport, where he was welcomed by Speaker of the Syrian People's Assembly Abdul Qader Qaddoura, Neisser expressed his happiness to visit Syria. He said: "I think this is a happy day for you, and I am happy to be here on such a day. And I would firstly, like to extend warmest wishes to President Hafez al-Assad on this happy occasion," SANA reported.

He added in a statement to SANA: "This is my first visit to Syria and I am pleased to be here and to be acquainted with its achievements and to meet with Syrian dignitaries and officials.

He asserted that his visit comes at a crucial stage of friendship relations between Syria and Austria. He added that in the second half of last year Austria assumed the presidency of the European Union and it was required to undertake certain moves pertaining to the Middle East peace process.

"I think we can discuss various prospects to give this process a push forward," he said.