Syria Urges US Not to Encourage Israeli Anti-Peace PoliciesSyria on Thursday urged the United States to realize that it is not in the interest of both itself and Israel to encourage the Israeli anti-peace policies.Rather, a fair and comprehensive peace in the Middle East, based on the relevant United Nations resolutions, will serve the interests of both the US and Israel, Damascus Radio said in a commentary. "The Arabs chose fair and comprehensive peace as a strategic option on the basis of international legitimacy and the initiative of former US President George Bush, which was based on the land- for-peace principle," the radio said. "However, this objective was not reached due to the policies of Israel, which seeks peace while retaining the (occupied Arab) lands and denying all of the rights of Arabs," it added. Bush proposed in 1991 the settlement of the Middle East disputes be based on the UN Security Council resolutions 242 and 338 and the land-for-peace principle. "Arab leaders should convince Powell of this conclusion and of the necessity of putting the Middle East peace process on the top of the agenda of the U.S. administration," the radio said. It called on the Arab leaders to reiterate the conclusions at their upcoming summit in Amman, Jordan, on March 27. Powell is expected to leave Washington on Friday to start a tour to Egypt, Israel, the Palestinian self-rule areas, Jordan, Kuwait, Syria and Saudi Arabia. |
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