Syria's president, Bashar al-Assad, said yesterday that peace in the Middle East would remain elusive for the foreseeable future and the United States was to blame.
"It is evident that after six years of this (US) administration that there is no peace and there will be none in the foreseeable future," he said in a speech to the Syrian Journalists Union.
The 40-year-old leader said the Jewish state had to return Arab land it has been occupying since 1967, or see more hatred against the country. "The Israeli leadership . . . is in front of an historic crossroads. Either it moves toward peace and gives back rights or face constant instability until an (Arab) generation comes and puts an end to the issue."
Syria wants the Lebanon war to lead to a comprehensive peace settlement that addresses what Damascus regards as the root of instability - Israeli occupation of Arab land, including the Syrian Golan Heights. Diplomats in Damascus, however, say the US, Israel's chief ally, and France show no sign of engaging Syria in their diplomatic moves in the region.