DAMASCUS, Syria, July 26 (UPI) -- Syria will have a new government by the end of the year, Syrian Vice President Farouk al-Shara said Saturday.
The Syrian official said the new government would have to deal with rising problems such as unemployment and corruption, the Kuwait News Agency KUNA reported.
The vice president also spoke about his country's ongoing conflict with Israel over the Golan Heights region.
Al-Shara said a political solution to the territorial dispute would not be reached if Israel presses Syria about its relations with other countries such as Iran.
"Syria will not sacrifice its firm strategic relations with its allies and partners to appease Israel or any other country," he said.
KUNA said the Syrian official also spoke about the ongoing conflict between Turkey and Israel, saying "Turkish mediation" had inflamed the struggling talks.
"Turkish mediation has put Turkish-Israeli relations in turmoil, and I expect that if Israel continues with its obstinacy, it will reveal to the Turkish government its true intentions," al-Shara said.
