Al-Hoss asserts need for stability to attain permanent peace; Moratinos due in Beirut

Miguel Moratinos, the European envoy for the Middle East peace process, is to arrive on Monday in Beirut in his current tour of the area.

After his meeting with Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa in Damascus yesterday, Moratinos said Israel's withdrawal from south Lebanon will be a good step, especially if linked to reaching a comprehensive agreement with all the concerned parties, including Syria.

He said the European Union is exerting strong efforts to bring Syria and Israel back to the negotiating table.

Lebanese Prime Minister Salim al-Hoss said that what is currently being talked about is a settlement and not peace, and the settlement will not be a peace unless it is linked to stability, which will not take place except by the return of Jerusalem's Arab identity and solving the problem of the Palestinian refugees' return home.