Damascus - Britain's Foreign Secretary David Miliband urged
Syria on Tuesday to continue efforts to reach a peace deal with
Israel and accused the Syrian-backed Palestinian militant group Hamas
of disrupting peace.
'Syria has a big potential role to play in stability in the Middle
East. It can be a force for stability or it can be a force for
instability,' Miliband said.
Syria and Israel have conducted four rounds of indirect peace
talks mediated by Turkey since May 2008. A fifth round of talks was
postponed due to the leadership crisis within Israel following the
resignation of former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
Miliband, who is the highest ranking British official to
visit Syria since 2001, went on to criticize the Palestinian Islamist
Group Hamas as an obstruction to the peace process. 'Hamas rockets
harm peace,' he said, speaking at a press conference with Syrian
Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem.
'Violence and disunity among Palestinian factions harms peace
that Syria seeks to obtain,' Miliband added.
The West has criticized Syria for supporting terrorism and for its
close links with Iran. Syria hosts exiled members of the Palestinian
militant group Hamas and supports the Lebanese Hezbollah party.
When asked about Syria's relations with Hamas and Hezbollah
al-Moallem said 'this issue cannot be tacked until peace is
obtained, we cannot jump to conclusions when the land is under
occupation,' al-Moallem said.
The British foreign secretary also called on the US
president-elect Barack Obama to become involved in the Middle East
peace process immediately after taking office.
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