Syrian Foreign Minister, Albright Discuss Middle East Peace

Published September 9th, 2000 - 03:00 GMT

Syrian Foreign Minister Farouq Shara discussed the Middle East peace efforts with US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright in New York, reported Syrian News Agency (SANA).

Shara stressed during the meeting the "need for Israel to withdraw from all occupied Arab territories, including Jerusalem and the Golan Heights in order to achieve a fair and lasting peace in the region," SANA said.

Syria's permanent UN representative, Michael Wehbeh, and its charge d'affaires in the United States, Rustum Zu’bi, were present at the meeting, as was US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Edward Walker, said AFP.

Shara was in New York to represent President Bashar Assad at the UN millennium summit, where he repeated Syrian demands for an Israeli withdrawal in his speech to the gathering Wednesday, added AFP.

Syrian-Israeli peace talks have been suspended since January over the extent of the Israeli pullback from the Golan Heights - (Several Sources)