President Al-Assad Meets French Senate Delegation, Stresses Fighting Terrorism Needs Real Political Will

DAMASCUS, (ST)-President Bashar Al-Assad has stressed that “throughout history, Syria has backed boosting and enhancing its relations with other countries of the world based on mutual interests and on the respecting of sovereignty and the non-interference in the internal affairs of countries”.

H.E.’s remarks came during his meeting on Wednesday with a French Senate delegation led by Senator Jean Pierre Vial who is also the head of the French-Syrian Friendship Committee at the Senate.

Talks focused on the situation of the French-Syrian relations and the challenges facing the Arab region and Europe particularly because of the expansion of terrorism.

President Al-Assad said that fighting terrorism “needs real political will and faith in the fact that the benefit will come to all parties exactly the same as the danger of terrorism will threaten all countries if it isn’t fought.”

“If the issue of terrorism was dealt with on this basis, we will witness tangible positive results as soon as possible,” H.E. President Al-Assad added, affirming that starting from this fact, Syria has encouraged cooperation among countries of the world because it is the best way to put an end to the expansion of terrorism and to eliminate it.

On their part, members of the guest delegation asserted that several French parliamentarians want to visit Syria to see what is really going on in the country as to convey a real image of the Syrian events to the French people. They affirmed the importance of coordination between Syria and France on issues of common interest.

The French delegation members reiterated that France has great interest in having security and stability attained in the region and in activating cooperation with Syria to eradicate terrorism which is no longer a threat to the peoples of the Middle East, but also to those of Europe.

The visiting French delegation comprises Jacques Myard, member of the National Assembly of France, deputy chairman of the Assembly’s French-Syrian Friendship Committee and Mayor of Maisone-Laffitte city and François Zocchetto, member of the Senate and Mayor of Laval city, General Inspector at the French Defense Ministry and Security Advisor at the French Embassy in Beirut.

Hamda Mustafa