Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem stressed on Saturday
the importance of dialogue between Syria and the U.S. on the basis
of mutual respect of both sides' points of view, the official SANA
news agency reported.
Muallem made the remarks while meeting with visiting U.S.
Republican Senator Arlen Specter and Democratic Representative
Patrick Kennedy, during which they discussed the Syrian-U.S.
relations and the latest developments in the Middle East.
Muallem also emphasized the necessity to reach common grounds to
help resolve existing crises in the region, while expressing
Syria's keenness on realizing a just and comprehensive peace in the
region.
For his part, Specter stressed the importance of Syria's role in
the region, pointing out that he believed there was an opportunity
for an American role in relaunching the peace talks between Syria
and Israel.
Relations between Damascus and Washington, strained since the
US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, hit a new low following the
assassination of former Lebanese premier Rafik Hariri in February
2005, after which the U.S. withdrew its ambassador to Syria.
(Xinhua News Agency December 30, 2007)
