Mouallem says Damascus and Riyadh support Lebanese stability, Solana supports Palestinian reconciliation

During a joint press conference with EU Foreign Policy chief Javier Solana in Damascus on Wednesday, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Mouallem said Riyadh and Damascus would help ensure that the upcoming Lebanese parliamentary elections would occur on time and in a stable and secure environment.

Mouallem said that Syrian and Saudi officials discussed many regional issues, including the situation in Lebanon, but that they did not discuss the Special Tribunal on the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, because both countries considered this strictly a matter between Lebanon and the United Nations.

Mouallem also announced that he would attend the conference on Gaza reconstruction that is to be held on March 2 in Sharm al-Sheikh, Egypt.

Mouallem said that Syria was exerting all its efforts to create inter-Palestinian dialogue in Cairo through its relationships with several Palestinian factions.

"We are looking forward to seeing Hamas join the Palestinian Liberation Organization," Mouallem said.

Solana said that he expected many important donors to aid the reconstruction of Gaza, and noted that the European Union would be one of them. He added that Saudi Arabia and Qatar pledged to donate more than $1 billion.

Solana said he hoped the conference on Gaza reconstruction would pave the way for inter-Palestinian reconciliation, and he emphasized the importance of Hamas-'Israeli' negotiations being carried out with Turkish mediation that would aim to make the ceasefire permanent, to end the blockade and to open the border crossings.