Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad told Sky News Arabia that his country has not been invited by the United States to establish relations with Israel.
“Americans know the Syrian leadership’s stance, which has not changed since the beginning of peace talks in 1990,” Al-Assad told the Abu Dhabi-based TV station.
“If there is no Israeli willingness to return the land, there is no need to waste time.” he added.
He added that he knew since the beginning of the war that it would be a long war, indicating that the possibility of him relinquishing power was not on the table.
Commenting on the issue of Syrian refugees, Al-Assad said that the biggest challenge for their return to their homeland is the reconstruction of the country’s infrastructure that was ruined by “terrorism”.
Israel occupied the Syrian Golan Heights in 1967 and annexed it in 1981 in a move not recognised by the international community. In 2020, then-US President Donald Trump officially recognised Israel’s sovereignty over the occupied territory.
Source : memo