Syria rejects Peres invitation for Assad to visit Jerusalem

Syria's state media have rejected an overture by Israel's Deputy Prime Minister Shimon Peres who said Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was welcome to visit Jerusalem. "Israel, the United States and the whole world knows that no Syrian citizen would accept this invitation to Jerusalem," Al-Baath newspaper said in an editorial by editor-in-chief Elias Murad on Thursday.

"Peace cannot be achieved by such protocol visits, which we reject."

Peres said Tuesday that Assad was welcome to visit if he wants to find peace.

"Imagine Assad would come and say 'I'm coming to Knesset'," Peres said in a television interview.