The French president has asked his Syrian counterpart to use his country”s ties with Iran to ensure the Islamic Republic does not produce nuclear weapons, and urged Syria to seek direct peace talks with Israel.
Nicolas Sarkozy said after meeting with President Bashar Assad in Damascus on Wednesday: “I told the president that Syria can play a role in the Iranian issue. Iran must not obtain the atomic bomb, but it has the right to nuclear energy for peaceful use.”
Assad said his country has long been against the presence of nuclear weapons in the Middle East, and has in the past asked the UN Security Council impose a ban on weapons of mass destruction in the region, which it refused to do.
He said: “The Iranian issue can only be resolved through dialogue and peaceful means,” and warned that any attempts to use military force to stop Iran”s nuclear program would lead to a “catastrophe.”
The U.S. and Israel, the Mideast”s sole nuclear power, have refused to rule out the possibility of strikes against Iran to end its nuclear program. Russia has been the key backer of Iran”s civil nuclear development, building the country”s first nuclear power plant in Bushehr and supplying it with low-enriched uranium.
The French president, visiting Syria for the first time, stressed the importance of negotiations between Syria and Israel for peace in the region, and said Paris is ready to support face-to-face negotiations.
