EU Envoy: No Peace Without Agreement on Syrian-Israeli TrackThe European Union's Middle East peace envoy Miguel Moratinos said in Damascus Wednesday that there would be no peace in the Middle East unless a peace agreement is reached on the Syrian-Israeli track.Moratinos made the remark after his talks with Syrian Foreign Minister Faruk Shareh Wednesday afternoon. He said his talks with Shareh focussed on relations between the EU and Syria under the new Syrian leadership of President Bashar al-Assad, who came to power in June. The EU supports the new Syrian leadership as Syria is an important party in the Middle East, he said. The EU seeks to revive Syrian-Israeli negotiations in a bid to reach a comprehensive peace in the region, said Moratinos, pointing to attempts by both parties to resume two-way negotiations. Peace talks between Israel and Syria resumed in December in the United States after an impasse of almost four years, but broke down only weeks later in disputes over the fate of the Golan Heights, which Israel seized from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war. Moratinos said he would also meet with the Syrian president before leaving for Lebanon. The European envoy arrived in Damascus Wednesday morning on a short visit to Syria. |
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