Moussa meets with al-Assad, al-Sharaa in Syria

Egyptian Foreign Minister Amr Moussa arrived today in Syria, where he met with Syrian President Hafez al-Assad and Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa.

Moussa delivered al-Assad a message from Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak dealing with "the latest developments in the region and current contacts in the Arab arena." SANA reported.

After meeting with al-Sharaa, the Syrian Foreign Ministry released a statement saying, "Both ministers deliberated the necessity to resume stalled peace discussions on all tracks. They also reviewed means of reinvigorating the Joint Arab Action."

Al-Sharaa said his talks with Moussa addressed "continuation of consultations and coordination with different Arab parties in order to help all together in improving the Arab situation."

Moussa commented on the prospects for the Middle East peace process after his meeting with al-Sharaa, saying, "There is no doubt that the latest change in the Israeli government would open the way for such a positive development. This is what we hope at least."

He stressed the importance of the land-for-peace principle and called for equal importance to be placed on each track in the peace process.

Before leaving Damascus, Moussa called his talks "significant and constructive," adding that President al-Assad had sent a reply message to President Mubarak.