ASSAD CALLS FOR BETTER TIES BETWEEN SYRIA AND ARMENIA

The Daily Star
on_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=103200
June 18 2009
Lebanon

BEIRUT: Syrian President Bashar Assad on Wednesday called for
Syrian-Armenian relations to quickly move forward after he met with
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, Syrian state news agency SANA
reported. Syria has a large Armenian community, especially in the
northern city of Aleppo.

Assad’s talks with Sargsyan covered a range of other topics, including
the prospects for Middle East peace.

During his talks with Sargsyan, Assad explained that he does not
envision there being an Israeli partner for peace in the near future,
SANA reported. However, Assad said that "this doesn’t mean that we
will stop talking or working for peace, and when that partner is ready,
the peace plan will be ready and we will save time."

Assad also discussed the Palestinian situation with Sargsyan,
SANA said.

Assad said that he listened to Sargsyan’s views on the disputed
Nogorno-Karabakh region during the two leaders’ talks. The region is
claimed by Azerbaijan but controlled by Armenia.

Assad expressed his hope that "this matter won’t be a permanent crisis,
because the critical problems, as we [are] taught in the Middle East,
[only] become more complicated and more difficult."

He added that "I wanted to listen to President Sargsyan’s viewpoint
before my first visit to Azerbaijan to see how we could help resolve
this problem."