Syrian president accuses Israel of working against peace

Assad says Arab side really wants peace process and Israeli side is working in opposite direction after meeting with Turkey's Erdogan.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
bashar assad 311 (photo credit: AP)
bashar assad 311
(photo credit: AP)
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Monday accused Israel of working against peace between the two countries.
"There are ideas being put forward by some countries. They are preliminary and we do not know if they will push the process forward for not ... the atmosphere is not positive," Assad told reporters after meeting Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan in the Syrian capital.
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"The Arab side really wants the peace process and the Israeli side is working in the opposite direction," he added.
Assad was referring to US and French moves to relaunch Syrian-Israeli talks which broke off in 2008 without a deal.
Assad also slammed the amendment made to the Citizenship Act. saying it "expresses Israeli fascism, which finds an outlet in killing and laws of this kind".
Erdogan also spoke at the press conference and said "Israel must issue an official apology for its operation against the Marmara vessel in international waters. It must compensate the families of the victims who were executed by short-range fire."