Syrian president reviews Middle East peace with German official

Syrian President Hafez al-Assad on Saturday received in Damascus German Foreign Minister and chairman of the European Union Council Joschka Fischer and members of his accompanying delegation.

Talks dealt with the situation in the region, the current stalemate in the Middle East peace process and the role played by the European Union in contributing to the revival of this process. The Syrian president stressed Syria's adherence to achieving a just and comprehensive peace on the grounds of international legitimacy resolutions.

Fischer's expressed Germany and the EU's appreciation of the importance of peace in the Middle East and their determination to exert more efforts to establish peace in the region. The German minister left Damascus later in the day following a two-day visit to Damascus.

Earlier in the day, Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa discussed with Fischer the situation in the region, the deadlocked Middle East peace process, bilateral relations between Syria and Germany, Syrian - European relations and the European ministerial conference due to be held in Stuttgart, Germany in April.