Syria: No peace before Israel quits lands

Syrian Arab Republic's Prime Minister Muhammed Naji al-Otari warned Saturday that peace would not materialise in the Middle East unless Zionist regime withdraws from the Arab territories it occupied in the 1967 six-day war, including the Jolan area.

 

"The region and its peoples will not enjoy peace unless it provides for the return of the entirety of Jolan area until the June 4, 1967 borders," al-Otari said during the opening meeting of Joint Higher Jordanian-Syrian Commission Saturday.

 

He added that any peace agreement between Zionist regime and Arab countries should also provide for the liberation of the part of Lebanese territory still occupied by Zionist regime as well as the regaining of the Palestinian people's rights including the setting up of their independent state with Beit Ul Moqaddas as its capital.

 

"For a long time, Syria has committed itself to the establishment of peace provided it is comprehensive and involves all tracks in accordance with the international legitimacy resolutions, the Madrid conference reference, the principle of land for peace and the Arab peace initiative," he said.

 

The Syrian prime minister reiterated his country's support for national reconciliation among the Lebanese "as the only way for safeguarding Lebanon's territorial integrity and its Arab role and affiliation".

 

He said Damascus supported dialogue and understanding among Palestinian factions.