MADRID, Jan. 11 (UPI) -- A Syrian official said Wednesday that his country's calls for Israel to renew negotiations reflect the sentiments and needs of the entire Middle East.
Speaking at the Middle East peace conference in Madrid, Dr. Ya'ad Daoudi said that Israel must re-establish pre-1967 borders and that returning the Golan Heights to Syria was an integral step towards establishing regional peace, according to The Jerusalem Post.
He also said that Damascus discouraged third party officials from being involved in negotiations.
Osama el-Baza, political adviser to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, also agreed that Israel needed to be pressured into renewing talks with Syria. Damascus "holds the key to the region," he said.
The two-day conference in the Spanish capital was called to commemorate the 1991 meeting that brought Israel and its Arab adversaries together for negotiations for the first time. With support from dignitaries like former U.S. President Bill Clinton, who sent his well-wishes through a representative, the conference aimed to restore optimism for a Middle East peace process.
However, there are marked differences between today's talks and those that took place 15 years ago. The present conference is not being sponsored by the Spanish government but by private peace foundations, and none of the regional players have sent their senior representatives to the meeting.
